Product Description
Red Families v. Blue Families identifies a new family model geared for the post-industrial economy. Rooted in the urban middle class, the coasts and the “blue states” in the last three presidential elections, the Blue Family Paradigm emphasizes the importance of women’s as well as men’s workforce participation, egalitarian gender roles, and the delay of family formation until both parents are emotionally and financially ready. By contrast, the Red Family Paradigm–a… More >>
Red Families v. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture
Tags: Blue, blue states, coasts, Creation, Culture, Families, family formation, family model, gender roles, industrial economy, Legal, Polarization, presidential elections, urban middle class, workforce participation
#1 by Autodidact on April 25, 2010 - 4:23 pm
Both Nancy Levit and Jana Singer are listed as follows in the Acknowledgments at the front of this book: “(W)e appreciate the extensive discussions, editing, and support – and vetting – that we’ve received from numerous colleagues, friends, and family members. Thank you to . . . Nancy Levit, . . . Jana Singer . . . .” How can these two people write 5-star Amazon reviews without disclosing their affiliations? It’s appalling.
I’ve had this book out of the library for a few days now and have given up on it. I would sum up the thesis as follows: We, the authors, like blue families. They are so much more enlightened, sophisticated, educated and rich than those icky red families in those backwards Republican states. As authors, we will now use our advanced degrees to research and explain in 200 pages, with 60 pages of footnotes, why our thesis is true.
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by Jana B. Singer on April 25, 2010 - 7:01 pm
This is an important and timely book. It convincingly explores the intersection of culture, law and family policy and illuminates the differing visions of family that underlie many of our nation’s ongoing culture wars. The authors show how the political and legal clashes produced by these divisions have exacerbated economic and racial inequalities and undermined our nation’s ability to provide for those most in need. In the final portion of the book the authors offer proposals for middle ground solutions that hold the promise of bridging these cultural collisions and rebuilding shared understandings of family.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Nancy Levit on April 25, 2010 - 9:32 pm
Red Families v. Blue Families is a wonderful book, packed with ideas about the political construction of families that are based on up to date empirical evidence from a variety of disciplines. It offers a powerful and fresh look at family formation: specifically, relationships between the age at which people marry and the politics of families, as well as the significant class divides that are emblematic of red and blue families. The authors draw on cutting edge neuroscience research about brain development and relate it to the age of family formation and marital stability. Cahn and Carbone explore teen sexual behavior in red and blue states–they make the case that contraception, not abortion, is key to the promotion of marriage and family values. The red and blue paradigms do not depict absolutes, but Cahn and Carbone convincingly demonstrate that red states and blue states have different paradigms of moral values and different sets of laws regarding reproduction, contraception, and sexuality. Red Families v. Blue Families is particularly exciting in its discussion of who should play umpire regarding controversial constitutional issues. Cahn and Carbone argue that legal scholars overemphasize the role of federal courts in politically divisive constitutional family issues. They propose instead a concept of progressive federalism, one that allows individual states to develop different concepts of “family values.” This is a highly readable and important book, one that will be shaping the national dialogue in family law, federalism, popular culture, and the intersection of law and science for years to come.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Kenneth J. Black on April 25, 2010 - 11:43 pm
This book is a wonderful read because it gives you everything you need to understand modern American families – the social science statistics, legal analysis, expert insights on culture, and a nuanced treatment of the eocnomics – and combines those diverse currents into a light, even enjoyable (given the topic under dicsussion) narrative.
The authors do an excellent job of avoiding the bile of the culture wars, and instead are able to tease out what the fundamental differences are between different conceptions of the family in America. Everyone has ‘family values’, and want the best for their children – the split comes over how to guarantee the best, and the role that sexuality and fertility play in different conceptions of what is the best for a family.
This is both an expert treatment and an interesting read that should appeal to just about everyone. Enjoy!
Rating: 5 / 5