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Rating: 
Summary: Thorough insight into middle class america
Review: I agree with Denise's review that this book offers hope more than anything else. It is rather academic, and does make you want to put it down. Nonetheless, in a world where TV commentators routinely portray Americans as "us and them" based on, say, their presidential vote, it is refreshing to read of alternative views. We are more similar than dissimilar - it just won't make for an electrifying show on "Crossfire" or "Hardball". Professor Wolfe does have some unifying themese throughout the book, which does raise this from 3 to 4 stars in my view. Without them, it's not an easy read. In fact, I'd recommend printing a condensed version of this. Say, a NY Times Sunday Magazine-length story or even a Reader's Digest one. The story it tells is that important.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Read? Yes...but worth it
Review: I agree with Denise's review that this book offers hope more than anything else. It is rather academic, and does make you want to put it down. Nonetheless, in a world where TV commentators routinely portray Americans as "us and them" based on, say, their presidential vote, it is refreshing to read of alternative views. We are more similar than dissimilar - it just won't make for an electrifying show on "Crossfire" or "Hardball". Professor Wolfe does have some unifying themese throughout the book, which does raise this from 3 to 4 stars in my view. Without them, it's not an easy read. In fact, I'd recommend printing a condensed version of this. Say, a NY Times Sunday Magazine-length story or even a Reader's Digest one. The story it tells is that important.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough insight into middle class america
Review: I had to read this book for my introductory Sociology class, and did so purely out of requirement. However, what I found was that I actually liked the book. It was excellently written and the research behind it was sound. It offers a glimpse into the American middle class that is both interesting and important. I look forward to reading more books by Alan Wolfe.
Rating: 
Summary: Comforting Piece of Social Research
Review: One Nation After All is an excellent analysis for a fascinationg social research project focusing on the American Middle Class. The study and subsequent analysis is a well thought out, detailed work packed with citations and comparisons. As an added plus, the study shows that overall, the American Middle Class is basically a tolerant, reasonable group of people who prefer NOT to tell others how to live their lives. For the uninitiated, research papers are writtin in the passive voice! This may require some adjustment on the part of the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost impossible to read
Review: The author appears not to have intended for anyone to actually READ this book. Its sentences are horrendously overlong; those few meanings which aren't badly obscured by the turgid writing are overly subtle, and in many cases underwhelming. Don't bother trying to read this.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not LIKE a term paper, I'm DOING one on it!!
Review: The previous customer review said the book reminds him of a college term paper gone wrong. Well, I'm currently working on a college term paper on this book, and I'm looking for lots of background info or else this paper WILL go wrong!
Rating:
Summary: BORING!!!!!!!!! It's not worth the effort.
Review: This reminds me of a college term paper, gone horribly wrong. When instructed to write a 10,000 word essay, the student realized he was 5,000 words short. SO, the other 5,000 words are nothing but filler, RUN ON SENTENCES, filler, endless references to the project, and oh did I mention PASSIVE SENTENCES! Jesus H. Christ! Shame on the author, and SHAME ON Putnam-Penguin. Have these people not heard of Grammer Check? The author should have interviewed thousands of people, THEN picked interviews that accurately identified whatever vague societal notion he catagorized. Instead this 'book' is a compilation of whatever 200 citizens just happened to spew forth - Garbage. The author actually thought it important to quote some clown from San Diego who liked the part of his job when he could tell home-owners why he was "going to build a highway right through their community." And in the end, which came at around 231 pages for me, most everyones' opinions, and the authors thesis, were irrelivant. Having a Masters of Science in Counseling and Mental Health, I've avoided writing such drivel, and could only read 2-3 pages at a time, until I could finally go no further. No stars for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't finish the book...
Review: When I arrived in the United States, I thought this book could help me to understand better Americans' opinions. Although I'm a good reader and I have been studying sociology in college, I couldn't finish the book! I found it very slow. Besides, conclusions are rarely clear. I understand that it's very hard to give a clear image of a heterogeneous country, but if you go so much into details it might become misleading!
Rating: 
Summary: First-rate Observations of American Values
Review: Wolfe's study is the largest survey of American political and moral beliefs ever made. Calling it the "Middle Class Morality Project," Wolfe surveyed and interviewed two hundred middle-class people in 8 different suburbs from across the nation. His goal was to find out what they really believe about such "hot-topic" issues as: prayer in schools, homosexual unions, immigration, welfare, abortion, and flag-burning. We all know how much political and media "spin" accompanies such issues. In the conservatives' version, America is engaged in a "kulturkampf" (culture war) between sensible Norman Rockwell-esque folk and an enclave of "new-class" libertines who control Hollywood, the Ivy League schools, and the news media. The left-wing responds by conjuring up a heartland full of racists, misogynists, and religious maniacs. Wolfe, however, is among the first to really study empirically what Americans actually think. His results are surprising and reassuring. A testimony to the sincerity of this book are the recomendations on its back cover. There's blurbs from deceased Sen. Paul Wellstone (one the Hill's most notorious leftists), Bill Bennet (right-wing crusader for moral virtue), and E.J. Dionne (the Washington Post's center-left Catholic columnist). In a word: Left, Right, and Center can all appreciate what Wolfe's got to say Wolfe's middle-class America is characterized by "quiet faith" and "modest virtues." It endorses immigration, but opposes bilingualism in schools (even integrated Latinos oppose it). This middle-class does not so much foment against welfare as it values a work-ethic. Whatever animus middle-class whites have towards the African American poor, for example, does not include black families who own homes, work regularly, and commit to stable family life. In other words, class--and not race--is the crucial factor. And Wolfe's interviewees draw sharp lines between the deserving and undeserving poor (between the homeless schizophrenic and the back alley drug dealer). By and large, respondents were open to social work and "soft" interventions by government. Many interviewees, including self-described "conservatives" support more government-provided health care. But most repondents also support strict policing, including widespread enthusiasm for the death penalty. Liberals will be happy to know that those surveyed overwhelmingly support women working outside the home. They also oppose male chauvanism. Also, while many reported high levels of patriotism, most opposed a constitutional amendment to outlaw flag-buring. While hesitant to criticize divorcees, they worry about the fragility of family life and the complex cultural challenges their children face. Some critics of the study (even, to some extent, its author) have been saddened by how middling the results are. Yet middling is just what America needs. Instead of the gadflys and trouble-makers who make the news, most Americans desperately want an end to boat-rocking. Michael Newdow, the California activist who opposes "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is an ideal example of the sorts of people most of those surveyed oppose. Yet the same goes for Republican intellectual's so-called culture wars. Middle-class Americans are instead notably tolerant and disinclined to involve themselves in such partisan controversies. Suburbanites across the nation are wary of both right-wing preachers and bleeding-heart liberals. In essence, middle-class Americans are pluralist nationalists who feel (somewhat naively, perhaps) that we all share bedrock cultural characteristics. They want leaders who can unite Americans and not divide them. Let's hope their wish comes true. ONE LAST NOTE: Other reviewers of this book have really done it a disservice. Ignore the one- and two-star reviewers complaining about Wolfe's writing style. This book's intended audience are people who are fairly smart (but not rocket-scientists) familiar with basic kinds of polling techniques. Such people will find its writing clear and straight-forward. It is an invaluable resource for people interested in politics or demographics.
Rating:
Summary: First-rate Observations of American Values
Review: Wolfe's study is the largest survey of American political and moral beliefs ever made. Calling it the "Middle Class Morality Project," Wolfe surveyed and interviewed two hundred middle-class people in 8 different suburbs from across the nation. His goal was to find out what they really believe about such "hot-topic" issues as: prayer in schools, homosexual unions, immigration, welfare, abortion, and flag-burning. We all know how much political and media "spin" accompanies such issues. In the conservatives' version, America is engaged in a "kulturkampf" (culture war) between sensible Norman Rockwell-esque folk and an enclave of "new-class" libertines who control Hollywood, the Ivy League schools, and the news media. The left-wing responds by conjuring up a heartland full of racists, misogynists, and religious maniacs. Wolfe, however, is among the first to really study empirically what Americans actually think. His results are surprising and reassuring. A testimony to the sincerity of this book are the recomendations on its back cover. There's blurbs from deceased Sen. Paul Wellstone (one the Hill's most notorious leftists), Bill Bennet (right-wing crusader for moral virtue), and E.J. Dionne (the Washington Post's center-left Catholic columnist). In a word: Left, Right, and Center can all appreciate what Wolfe's got to say Wolfe's middle-class America is characterized by "quiet faith" and "modest virtues." It endorses immigration, but opposes bilingualism in schools (even integrated Latinos oppose it). This middle-class does not so much foment against welfare as it values a work-ethic. Whatever animus middle-class whites have towards the African American poor, for example, does not include black families who own homes, work regularly, and commit to stable family life. In other words, class--and not race--is the crucial factor. And Wolfe's interviewees draw sharp lines between the deserving and undeserving poor (between the homeless schizophrenic and the back alley drug dealer). By and large, respondents were open to social work and "soft" interventions by government. Many interviewees, including self-described "conservatives" support more government-provided health care. But most repondents also support strict policing, including widespread enthusiasm for the death penalty. Liberals will be happy to know that those surveyed overwhelmingly support women working outside the home. They also oppose male chauvanism. Also, while many reported high levels of patriotism, most opposed a constitutional amendment to outlaw flag-buring. While hesitant to criticize divorcees, they worry about the fragility of family life and the complex cultural challenges their children face. Some critics of the study (even, to some extent, its author) have been saddened by how middling the results are. Yet middling is just what America needs. Instead of the gadflys and trouble-makers who make the news, most Americans desperately want an end to boat-rocking. Michael Newdow, the California activist who opposes "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is an ideal example of the sorts of people most of those surveyed oppose. Yet the same goes for Republican intellectual's so-called culture wars. Middle-class Americans are instead notably tolerant and disinclined to involve themselves in such partisan controversies. Suburbanites across the nation are wary of both right-wing preachers and bleeding-heart liberals. In essence, middle-class Americans are pluralist nationalists who feel (somewhat naively, perhaps) that we all share bedrock cultural characteristics. They want leaders who can unite Americans and not divide them. Let's hope their wish comes true. ONE LAST NOTE: Other reviewers of this book have really done it a disservice. Ignore the one- and two-star reviewers complaining about Wolfe's writing style. This book's intended audience are people who are fairly smart (but not rocket-scientists) familiar with basic kinds of polling techniques. Such people will find its writing clear and straight-forward. It is an invaluable resource for people interested in politics or demographics.
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