This heartfelt collection is a testament to sociology’s power to heal people and transform societies.
 
The world is a tough place right now. Climate change, income inequality, racist violence, and the erosion of democracy have exposed the vulnerability of our individual and collective futures. But as the sociologists gathered here by Marika Lindholm and Elizabeth Wood show, no matter how helpless we might feel, it’s vital that we discover new paths toward healing and change. The short, accessible, emotionally and intellectually powerful essays in Between Us offer a transformative new way to think about sociology and its ability to fuel personal and social change. These forty-five essays reflect a diverse range of experiences. Whether taking an adult son with autism grocery shopping or fighting fires in Barcelona, contending with sexism at the beach or facing racism at a fertility clinic, celebrating one’s immigrant heritage, or acknowledging one’s KKK ancestors, this book shows students that sociology is deeply rooted in everyday life and can be used to help us process and understand it. A perfect introduction to the discipline and why it matters, Between Us will resonate with students from all backgrounds as they embark on their academic journey.
 
 
 

Marika Lindholm is the founder of Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere, a social platform dedicated to informing, empowering, and honoring women who parent on their own. Elizabeth Anne Wood is professor of sociology at Nassau Community College, part of State University of New York, where she also served as acting dean of instruction. 
 

Introduction

Part 1. Discovering the Power of the Sociological Imagination
1. My Son with Autism Breaks the Rules by Annette Lareau
2. Saving the World, One Blush at a Time by Francesca Polletta
3. Mediocre by Abigail Saguy
4. An Accidental Sociologist Learns the Power of Listening by Jessie Daniels
5. From Hubris to Humility on the Softball Field by Edwin Amenta
6. How the World Works 101 by Robin Rogers

Part 2. Navigating Social Structure, Culture, and Identity
7. The Valentine’s Dilemma by Joshua Gamson
8. Hair Play by Robyn Autry
9. Being Black (and American) in Paris by Jean Beaman
10. The Only Girl on the Loading Dock by Marika Lindholm
11. Dream with Your Eyes Open by Harry Edwards

Part 3. Facing Our Families and Communities
12. Boy! by Tony N. Brown
13. On Being a Marginal Woman by Kathleen Gerson
14. Ghost(s) of Detroit by Waverly Duck
15. Solidarity in Tunisia and Texas by Mounira M. Charrad
16. I Joined a Cult Because I Didn’t Fit In—and Then I Didn’t Fit In! by Victoria Reyes
17. The Room Feels Queer by Amin Ghaziani

Part 4. Confronting Class and Status
18. All in the Family by Myra Marx Ferree
19. My Mother’s Bequest by Douglas S. Massey
20. My Daughter Is Not a Bourgeois Girl by Gloria González-López
21. When a Harvard Degree Is Not Enough by Vivian Louie
22. The Luxury of Knowing by Theresa Rocha Beardall

Part 5. Crossing Borders and Ethnic Divides
23. Watch It, White Boy! by Tomás R. Jiménez
24. Scars of Shame by Marta Tienda
25. K-Pop and Me by Grace Kao
26. A Bittersweet Graduation by Julie Park
27. La Vida Chicana and the Art of Savage Discovery by Mary Romero

Part 6. Resisting Racism
28. High Yella by Angela Jones
29. Growing Up White in a Black Neighborhood by Tanya Golash-Boza
30. April 29, 1992 by Adia Harvey Wingfield
31. White Supremacy and Grandma by Nicola Beisel
32. Dancing in White Spaces by Heather M. Washington
33. Why Aren’t You Pregnant Yet? by Linsey Edwards

Part 7. Rewriting the Rules of Sex and Gender
34. My First Girlfriend’s Kitchen by Tey Meadow
35. And Just Like That, She Was Gone by Katharine M. Donato
36. No Such Thing as a Paper Girl by Ruth Milkman
37. Hard Lessons at Yale by Pepper Schwartz
38. Bad at Being a Boy by Tristan Bridges
39. Big Dick at the Beach by C Ray Borck

Part 8. Healing and Changing the World
40. I Am Neo by Michael L. Walker
41. Systemic Racism Is . . . You! by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
42. Horseshoe Crab Lessons by Lisa Jean Moore
43. When Ideology and Empathy Collide by R. Danielle Egan
44. Firefighting in Barcelona by Gerard Torrats-Espinosa
45. Flying Trapeze by Elizabeth Anne Wood

Acknowledgments
Index