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Coming Apart

The State of White America, 1960-2010
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( 5,658 ratings, 793 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Coming Apart by Charles Murray examines the growing divide between America’s upper and working classes, particularly from 1960 to 2010. The book analyses the socio-economic and cultural changes that have influenced the separation of these classes, focusing on the impact on American society and values. Murray argues for the importance of community and shared experiences in maintaining the country’s social cohesion.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5300

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're interested in exploring the socio-economic and cultural shifts within America from 1960 to 2010. It provides an analysis of how certain divides have emerged, focusing on factors such as class and community in the white population. This thought-provoking examination may appeal to readers intrigued by societal changes and their impacts on modern life.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"Drawing on five decades of statistics and research, [this book] demonstrates that a new upper class and a new lower class have diverged so far in core behaviors and values that they barely recognize their underlying American kinship--divergence that has nothing to do with income inequality and that has grown during good economic times and bad"--Amazon.com.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From the bestselling author of Losing Ground and The Bell Curve, Coming Apart is a harrowing portrait of the haves and have-nots of white America.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A fascinating explanation for why white America has become fractured and divided in education and class, from the acclaimed author of Human Diversity.

"I'll be shocked if there's another book that so compellingly describes the most important trends in American society." - David Brooks, New York Times

In Coming Apart, Charles Murray explores the formation of American classes that are different in kind from anything we have ever known, focusing on whites as a way of driving home the fact that the trends he describes do not break along lines of race or ethnicity.

Drawing on five decades of statistics and research, Coming Apart demonstrates that a new upper class and a new lower class have diverged so far in core behaviours and values that they barely recognise their underlying American kinship β€” divergence that has nothing to do with income inequality and that has grown during good economic times and bad.

The top and bottom of white America increasingly live in different cultures, Murray argues, with the powerful upper class living in enclaves surrounded by their own kind, ignorant about life in mainstream America, and the lower class suffering from erosions of family and community life that strike at the heart of the pursuit of happiness. That divergence puts the success of the American project at risk.

The evidence in Coming Apart is about white America. Its message is about all of America.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Coming Apart has been described as a thought-provoking analysis of the growing class divide in America, focusing on the erosion of foundational virtues such as industriousness and morality. Critics highlight its timely insights into societal issues and its challenge to conventional views about what makes the U.S. exceptional, beyond economic and military strengths. Despite being alarming and incisive, some reviewers find it frustrating in its conclusions about the current state of American society.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780307453433

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 January 2013

Country: United States

Imprint: Crown Publishing Group, Division of Random House Inc

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 306g

Pages: 432

About the Author

Charles Murrayis the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He first came to national attention in 1984 with Losing Ground. His subsequent books include In Pursuit, The Bell Curve (with Richard J. Herrnstein), What It Means to Be a Libertarian, Human Accomplishment, In Our Hands, and Real Education. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives with his wife in Burkittsville, Maryland.

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