University of California Press Blog» Sociology

Why the World Needs Benchwarmers

ssilverman — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:54:32 +0000

Harvard sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman, author of the forthcoming book Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture, is now a featured blogger at Psychology Today. Her first installment, “Qualities of the B (aka Bench-Warming) Player” talks about why it may be more advantageous for a child to be a benchwarmer than a star [more...]

Sheryl Sandberg and Jody Williams: A Study in Contrasts

ssilverman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:08:52 +0000

What do Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams have in common? According to a recent article in Foreign Policy Journal, “two remarkable women have been in the news promoting their books. [Sandberg's ubiquitous Lean In and Williams' recent UC Press book, My Name Is Jody Williams] Both women are brilliant, hardworking, dedicated, focused [more...]

When Breast Isn’t Best: Spiked Reviews Bottled Up

ssilverman — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:26:29 +0000

In the wake of Mayor Bloomberg’s decision last summer to remove formula samples from the diaper bags given to new mothers in New York City, the breast vs. bottle feeding debate is more contentious than ever.

The Spiked Review of Books recently took up this issue in a review of Suzanne’s Barston’s new book, Bottled Up: How [more...]

Among Murderers: Prisoners Respond to Sabine Heinlein

ssilverman — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:08:06 +0000

Sabine Heinlein sent a finished copy of her book, Among Murderers, to Richie, an interviewee serving time at Attica prison. He then passed it around to friends and fellow cellblock-mates. Two of them were so moved by her research on the struggle to navigate life after a murder conviction, they felt compelled to write responses to Heinlein.

Below are [more...]

UC Press Podcast: Sabine Heinlein on Life After a Murder Conviction

ssilverman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:13:35 +0000

What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed the everyday lives and emotional struggles of Angel Ramos and his friends Bruce and [more...]

UC Press Podcast: Leslie C. Bell on the Hardships of Hookup Culture

ssilverman — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:58:20 +0000

While young women today benefit from unprecedented education and opportunity compared to previous generations, many have trouble navigating personal and sexual relationships, Leslie C. Bell argues in her new book, Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom. Drawing from her years of experience as a researcher and a psychotherapist, Bell takes us directly into the lives [more...]

The New Taboo: Leslie Bell Talks Sex and Relationships

ssilverman — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:14:40 +0000

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Leslie C. Bell, author of the new book, Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom, has an article up at Psychology Today about the ambivalence many young women feel toward committing to relationships in their twenties. From the attitudes on the HBO series Girls to those found in [more...]

Randol Contreras Disarms Myths About Gun Violence

ssilverman — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 02:13:36 +0000

Brian Lehrer recently spoke with Randol Contreras, author of The Stickup Kids, for his show on WNYC. Now a sociology professor at Cal State Fullerton, Contreras came of age in the South Bronx during the 1980s, a time when the community was devastated by cuts in social services, a rise in arson and abandonment, and the rise of [more...]

UC Press Podcast: Suzanne Barston on the Politics of Breastfeeding

ssilverman — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:56:51 +0000

Suzanne Barston, subject of the popular web series, “A Parent Is Born,” found that, despite every effort, she couldn’t breastfeed her son, Leo. This difficult encounter with nursing—combined with the overwhelming public attitude that breast is not only best, it is the yardstick by which parenting prowess is measured—drove Barston to explore the silenced, minority [more...]

UC Press Podcast: The Final Leap: Suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge

ssilverman — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:36:45 +0000

A note from the person who maintains this blog: Almost exactly a year ago, a dear of friend of mine walked out on to the Golden Gate Bridge, sent a text asking that her dog be cared for and jumped. If the publication of The Final Leap deters a single troubled person from making the [more...]