Social Issues Book Reviews Samples For Students

The Irish Way

Analysis of Chapters
The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett describes the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. The author of the book has structured it in a very interesting manner. To show the various interactions of the Irish immigrants, the book has been subdivided into sections namely, The Parish, The Street, The Stage, The Workplace, The Nation and The Machine. This essay however focus on two of three sections that is, The Workplace, The Stage and The Nation as well as the introductory part Continue reading...

Elizabeth Clerk-Lewis in her book narrates the experiences and lives of African American in Washington and how women worked for wealthy white families. This writer has given detailed and reliable information regarding the African American racism, since a grandmother was part of the great migration of the African American, and she could give an oral history regarding the migration. This has enabled her to publish a book with first-hand information that is not biased. Over the last few decades, the essential meaning of gender and sex had been transformed to mean something different apart from its actual meaning. Racial Continue reading...

Overview of the book

Yunus, Muhammad, and Karl Weber. Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism That Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs. New York: Public Affairs, 2010. Print.
The book was authored by Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank, which is a microcredit institution. Through his economic policies, Yunus made an immense contribution to the fight against poverty and through his economic paradigm; he manages to espouse an economic model that places humanity at the heart of polling resource together for positive potential. His efforts in the promotion of social business enabled him to win the 2006 Nobel Continue reading...

How Race Survived U.S. History
How Race Survived U.S. History
David R. Roediger, history professor at the University of Illinois, delves deep in his book, “How Race Survived US History: From Settlement and Slavery to the Obama Phenomenon” in order to investigate how the race was created around 1600 and was kept breathing to the present day America. Roediger recalls how the idea of race used to exist during the significant moments of American history. Racism travelled from American Revolution through the American civil war and to the modern status of United States of America.
Roediger defines the race Continue reading...

Racism remains one of the most difficult topics that have generated a heated debate in the United States. In fact, the United States has experienced issues aligned with racism since a long time ago. Rodgers’ book, “How Race Survived US History: From Settlement and Slavery to the Obama Phenomenon” offers a substantive review on various issues regarding racism. To be precise, the first three chapters of Roediger’s books over an overview of how the idea of racism has been reinvented over time in the United States history. The United States has experienced several historical events such as the Continue reading...

Introduction

The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett is a masterpiece written to describe the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. Widespread insecurity, callous English colonizers and the ghost of great famine still lingering on and on in their lives, made this ethnic group be convinced that home was longer a home anymore. They descended in United States of America in large numbers. James R. Barrett in his book notes that these people were the first group of immigrants to settle in America. According to him, Continue reading...

Should the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act be declared obsolete following the Wal-Mart case in 2012? In the opinion of Jeffrey Miron, it should. He holds that the Act should be abolished, but Wal-Mart should be prosecuted. This is because its existence alone is bound to increase the rate of corruption. In business, bribes are mainly given to get around minor laws that are deemed unnecessary. These laws are an excessive invasion by the government into the businesses of its citizens. They make expansion of these businesses unnecessarily hard. This is because it is hard to open different outlets of Continue reading...

Hernstein & Murray’s The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, offers a controversial statistical argument about social stratification and race being concretely linked to intelligence. However, the book more effectively investigates the consequences of American social stratification. The rich and educated members of society are increasingly isolating themselves in zip code enclaves instead of contributing to the American ideal of diversity. As a result, society has become increasingly divided by education, class and race. Overall, the book attempts to deconstruct complex socioeconomic issues of race, class and intelligence using statistical analysis. Intelligence is an important part Continue reading...

When getting deeper to the real nature of crime and punishment connected to the case of Adolf Eichmann, the author underlines two main challenges that the readers witnesses. The first one is connected with the legal judgment that is closely connected with legal intention. The main issue here is whether the courts had to present the reliable proof of the fact that Eichmann had an intention of the genocide commitment in order to convict him of this terrifying crime (Ardent 19).
Here the main interest represents the fact that Eichmann had a serious lack of real intentions as he Continue reading...

We think of the Renaissance of a time of humanism, creativity and change. Women are depicted more often in the arts of this time, dressed beautifully and looking happy. Unfortunately, this was not the case for women of this era. In spite of radical changes in philosophy and religion, women remained at the bottom of the social latter. In Florence, women had no legal rights and was at the mercy of her family and later her husband. Laws were specifically written to control women, how they dressed, defining what was their personal property and enforced by notaries of the Continue reading...

- Welfare recipients and culture of poverty
- In the chapters 2 and 7 of the book Flat Broke with Children, Sharon Hays tells us the story of U.S welfare from the inside of the welfare office, and also from the inside of mothers involved in welfare. She aptly describes the challenges that recipients of welfare face in the management of their families, work. Moreover, she tells the regulations and rules that pertain to welfare reform. Her research is hands on because it involves one on one interaction with the welfare recipients. The hands-on approach she takes makes her Continue reading...

Abstract

Police department is considered to be evolved throughout the world on the basis of criminals and their modern ideas of the criminal activities. We will try to look at the various aspects of the society and its connection with the police or role of the law enforcement agencies. We will try to lay the foundation of the study on the information gathered from several sources that are subjected to the researched reports and intellectual work done on the book written by Roberg. The police department is considered to be an important governmental institution and it must be organized merely Continue reading...

The New Jim Crow is a book written by Michelle Alexander that gives a brief history of the past caste systems that have troubled African-Americans and suggests that currently there is a different caste system. Michelle Alexander is a highly educated civil lawyer, legal scholar, and advocate. The author clearly advocates that today’s caste system is created by the American criminal justice system by aiming black men and imprisoning them. In her book, Michelle debates the legal systems that appear to be doing their work perfectly well. However, according to the author, it is evident that these legal Continue reading...

Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur is an autobiography of a revolutionary and civil rights activist Assata Olugbala Shakur. It was first published in 1987, and again on the 1st of November 1999. In June of the current year, it was again republished by Zed Books. Assata is now an author and editor who continues to fight against opression, racism, and equal rights for African Americans despite being a political exile residing in Cuba since 1984. She escaped from prison in 1979, and in 1984 fled to Cuba where she was given political asylum. On May 3, 2013, she Continue reading...

Book review – Men are from Mars, women are from Venus

Introduction
“Men are from mars, women are from Venus” is a user’s guide for married couples to understand each other better, and transform their differences to complement each other to enjoy their long journey together as man and wife. John Gray, renowned relationship counselor and the author of the book, views men and women as having inherently dissimilar values and views about life. In marriage people often expect the opposite sex to be more like themselves. Each desires the other to want the same thing and feel the same way. For example, the husband takes for granted that Continue reading...

According to Ramsbotham, Woodhouse, and Mial there are four methods that can be used in the prevention of terrorism. These are prevention, persuasion, denial, and coordination. Prevention involves eliminating and reducing issues that lead to terrorism such as global inequalities, poverty, and lack of equal opportunity. Secondly, persuasion involves reducing the motivation towards terrorism and recruitment. Encouraging terrorists to take up other methods to deal with issues that they may have can achieve this objective. Third is denial, which involves denying individuals engaging in terrorism access to finances, weapons and other factors that encourage terrorism. This also takes into Continue reading...

The novel “Daughter of Time” written by Josephine Tey and published by ‘Simon and Schuster’ is one of the most interesting literary works well-disguised as a novel. The classic, published in the year 1951 for the first time dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and gives an account of Richard III . The story has a fascinating plot with likeable characters. The most interesting part of the book is the way Tey presents history in the form of a mystery. She portrays history as a science, which involves a constant effort to analyze and learn from the truth Continue reading...

In the book “The end of poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time” Jeffrey Sachs explains the yawning gap between the rich world and the poor and what can be done to improve that dreadful situation.
First idea depicts the greatest tragedy of our time – poverty and its dimensions, in which the one-sixth of humanity lives. As the author says, these countries are not even on the development ladder. The comparison of the poverty situation in Malawi, Bangladesh and India makes clear that the world community has so far displayed just too little action. Professor Sachs stresses that globalization under Continue reading...

Narrative Review

Since I joined school, I have never liked reading books. First, I was slow at reading and books did not interest me. There Are No Children Here is an awesome book to read. The book is easy to read, and its ideas are presented in an easy to understand the matter. Reading about these two boys in a novel and their family was an awesome experience for me. The hardships the family went through are unbelievable. It is inspiring reflecting on how they faced being in poverty /being on welfare, dealing with all their family issues and being black Continue reading...

The Book The cheating culture: David Callahan writes why more Americans are doing wrong to get Ahead. David Callahan has interviewed many people around the country. He had studied many different patterns of cheating as in corporate boardrooms, school testing, over billing lawyers, school testing, learning deficiencies, and applications (Hopkins 25). In this book “The cheating culture”, David Callahan has given instances of cheating in America. He has given numerous instances in his book on cheating in America. There is strong evidence that shows the people in America are getting dishonest. This will exaggerate in the future if not Continue reading...

There Are no Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz

There Are no Children Here – Reaction Paper
Introduction
The following reaction paper is about the book entitled “There are no Children Here” written by Alex Kotlowitz. In this reaction paper, I am going to highlight the important parts of the book as well as how changed my views in life. There are various parts of the book that are worth reading as it relates to some of my experiences. The purpose of this reaction paper is to emphasize such events that made the book worth reading by highlighting events in each theme will affect my point of views, which Continue reading...

Chapter Summaries – Shaking the Gates of Hell

Chapter 12: Unholy Trinity: The IMF, World Bank, and WTO
In this chapter, Delgado talks about the influence and key role in the global economic crisis of the three main financial and economic international organizations: The IMF, World Bank, and WTO. The author says that these organizations claim to be the torchbearers of the economic stability in the world, but, in truth, they work for their own benefit. The ground realities of the global economic horizon contradict their claim that their rules help improve the standard of living and lives of general population of the world. The main purpose Continue reading...

(An Application of the Seven Major Sources of Economic Progress)

Authors: William Seyfried & Rollins College

- Article Summary
The article ‘Employment Intensity of Economic Growth’ seeks to examine the relationship between economic growth, as measured by the GDP, and employment levels, with the main focus being on the margin countries of Europe known as PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain). It pertains to research done between 1999 and 2012 to study unemployment growth rates and GDP after the financial crisis proved that the peripheral countries were in a dire financial state.
The financial crunch immensely reduced the availability of financing, and hence could Continue reading...

Compare and Contrast the tone in “The Man who lived Underground” and “Invisible Man”

Richard Wright’s short story “The Man Who Lived Underground” and “Invisible Man” written by Ralph Ellison, tell the story of two men, and although they are different in thought, if examined carefully one will realize that they share an underlying theme. Richard Wright’s story tells of a man who lived in the city sewers because he was running from the law after he was accused of murder. In Ellison’s story, the main character and the narrator go underground and remains there in anticipation that things will change from oppression to equality for all.
The tone in Continue reading...

Guns are involved in the killing of some 100 people daily in United States. The policy discussions concerning this major problem the America’s criminal justice as well as its public health is among the contentious debates. At one end are those who would veto the use of guns and on the other end are those that not only support guns but also they would increase armament to the already heavily armed public. The latter opinion is evocative of Bunker’s solution to the hijacking problem of the 1980s. If everybody had a gun, hijackers would not have the Continue reading...

The constitution of the United States of America provides rights of the citizens to bear arms. Firearms may or may not have anything to do with the constant rise in the number of homicides and other crimes that involve any form of firearms. The truth is, most of the firearms used in the commission of most crimes are either unregistered or have been reported stolen.
At the time when this right was guaranteed, the lifestyle was different. The whole purpose of keeping firearms was different. Most people got their food from hunting game. Hunting was one reason that made Continue reading...

- In what way did Dr. Martin King Luther King use non-violent protests in the Civil Rights Movement?
At the staff retreat of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King talked about the dangers of violence. King said, “Violence has been the inseparable twin of materialism, the hallmark of its grandeur”, and he stood his ground against it on the basis that hate engenders violence. Hence, to curb hate and violence, King saw the importance of participating in peaceful protests no matter how unjust the situations they were in and how difficult it was for Black people to attain Continue reading...

Chapter 11 Review

On the issue of the size of federal service, the author provide figure to demonstrate that the size has been declining for the last 35 years, contrary to views expressed by politicians. Consequently, the fear that bureaucracies are expanding is misplaced because the number of people working for these agencies have been reducing. According to the author, the last time the public service was very large was in 1968 when there were 3.0 million civilian employees plus 6.0 military officers. The number declined to 2.8 million in 2010. Besides, the author argues that the ratio of federal employment to Continue reading...

How Race Survived History by David R. Roediger explores various ways in which the idea of race was initially created and recreated in American history. In his book, David reveals how race played a critical role in a progressive national history. He illustrates the ways in which race intersected all that was progressive and dynamic in U.S history, right from economic development, democracy to globalization and immigration. Based on what has happened in the past, Roediger explores the evidence that U.S will eventually become a ‘non-white’ majority nation probably in the next fifty years or so. In a nutshell, Continue reading...

The book explores the history, role, and contribution of Rosa Parks, a human activist on modern social and economic transformation and changes. Rosa Parks, a renowned African American activist was born on February 1913. Many professionals and researchers refer Rosa as the first lady of civil rights due to her contribution in fighting for human right and equality in America. In an effort to recognise the role and contribution of Rosa Parks in America, the country commemorates her birth and the days she was arrested for her intensive effort of fighting for human rights in America. The day is Continue reading...

Introduction

In the history of genocide crimes, the question of responsibility always crops up. International organizations of justice have always argued that responsibility for genocide and war crimes is a collective and individual responsibility. Everyone is responsible in their own right but also it is the duty of the society as a whole to work against forces that would otherwise promote occurrence of war atrocities. This paper is a comparative piece drawing evidences and incidents between the works of Slavenka Drakulic in the book “They Would Never Hurt A Fly: War Criminals on Trial in the Hague” and Heda Margolius Continue reading...

Introduction

In the book by Keith Finley Delaying the Dream explores gradations in the opposition and examines how the United States senators tackled the question of civil rights and developed a resolute plan of action to frustrate legislation by using strategic delay. Finley’s analysis passes beyond traditional descriptions of the pursuit of racial equality. He analyses heroic struggle, the filibusters, and the southern extremism to reveal the other side of the conflict. This paper discusses the evolution of southern resistance to civil rights legislation in the U.S. senate. It expounds on what worked, and what failed to work giving Continue reading...

Book Report

Gone Girl is a modern book written by American writer Gillian Flynn. The book was published in June 2012 by Crown Publishing Group. Gone Girl became one of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling books and soon hit the best seller list in New York Times. The book is a thrilling novel about a marriage gone terribly wrong which is filled with psychological suspense and raw intensity, with the principal suspense coming from the uncertainty about the major character, Nick, and whether he murdered his wife, Amy. In this book, Flynn tried to explore the psychology and dynamics of a lasting Continue reading...

Morris Fiorina in his book The Myth of a Polarized America brings to the fore that in reality there is little that divides Americans in terms of the ideals and the notions that they hold dearly at heart. He believes in his book that Americans are not strongly divided along radical or conservative lines as the vast majority of the population thinks of itself as moderates who like to think out issues first without any manner of a partisan nature before making a decision.
Fiorina first supports his notion by bringing up the subject of abortion. This has been Continue reading...

The September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attack in the United States of America has brought this common and urgent query if the country is safe to all the citizens who live in for a better living. Asking this question is wrong; America is still a safe place to everyone. It is safer since the government has a massive increased in homeland security and the expenditures are high. The best and correct query is that, if the expenditures in the security have its worth. Howard Kunreuther, analyst, raised the central question after the 9/11 terrorist attack that how much do Continue reading...

The story written by Hwang is very interesting and moving. It is told in a non-structural and non-linear way, which is something that most people are not used to reading. Besides this structural characteristic of the novel, it tells a story of the history of Korea, before Communism spread in North Korea. I do not agree with the thesis statement which claims that the characters Pak Hun and Ojaknyo reject the old and feel that the new is unjust. However, I do believe that they think that there is much improvement to be done in modern times. The characters Continue reading...

The book The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism is a book that was written after interviewing Tea Party activists across the United States. This was an exercise that was conducted over a sixteen month period. According to the book, as the digging in into the movement gathered momentum, it became clear that the Tea Party is not the giant obstacle that it’s occasionally painted as. The political approach that is taken by Tea Party members is conservative in nature. Aside from this it has divergent views, interests and goals. Further research into the book was Continue reading...

The book The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism is a book that was written after interviewing Tea Party activists across the United States. This was an exercise that was conducted over a sixteen month period. According to the book, as the digging in into the movement gathered momentum, it became clear that the Tea Party is not the giant obstacle that it’s occasionally painted as. The political approach that is taken by Tea Party members is conservative in nature. Aside from this it has divergent views, interests and goals. Further research into the book was Continue reading...

Political risks is the possibility of change in a country’s political environment or government policy that would adversely affect a firm’s ability to operate profitability and effectively. Political risks can prevent a firm from investing abroad. This means that uncertainty drawn from political instability will not attract foreign investment. Political instability can be in various forms as discussed below. These are reports recorded by Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI), The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and PRS Group.
War in a nation causes tension that makes investors fearful to invest in such a country due to the risk Continue reading...

Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants" follows two conflicted and ambiguous characters - Jig and the American. Though their primary struggle and conflict is never explicitly mentioned, it is heavily implied that these two characters were or are in a relationship, Jig is pregnant, and the American wishes for her to have an abortion. The silent treatment Jig gives the American and the passive but pleading requests made by the American are indicative of their personalities, as well as other context clues strewn throughout the short story.The short story itself is a treatise on the importance of Continue reading...