Overview

Portrait of America describes our nation's changing population and examines through a demographic lens some of our most pressing contemporary challenges, ranging from poverty and economic inequality to racial tensions and health disparities. Celebrated authorJohn Iceland covers various topics, including America's historical demographic growth; the American family today; gender inequality; economic well-being; immigration and diversity; racial and ethnic inequality; internal migration and residential segregation; and health and mortality. The discussion of these topics is informed by several sources, including an examination of household survey data, and by syntheses of existing published material, both quantitative and qualitative. Iceland discusses the current issues and controversies around these themes, highlighting their role in everyday debates taking place in Congress, the media, and in American living rooms. Each chapter includes historical background, as well as a discussion of how patterns and trends in the United States compare to those in peer countries.

Full Product Details

9780520278196

Table of Contents

Reviews

A refreshing take ... A Portrait of America is an essential resource for understanding demographic trends in the United States within a social context that is relevant and relatable to a wide range of audiences. The writing style is both enjoyable and accessible and draws the reader in with its narrative format that lets the readers see themselves in this portrait. This is a book that can make itself at home on the shelves of anybody who can appreciate the role that demography plays in driving societal changes that affect all our lives. -- Amber Fox Crowell City and Community

""A refreshing take ... A Portrait of America is an essential resource for understanding demographic trends in the United States within a social context that is relevant and relatable to a wide range of audiences. The writing style is both enjoyable and accessible and draws the reader in with its narrative format that lets the readers see themselves in this portrait. This is a book that can make itself at home on the shelves of anybody who can appreciate the role that demography plays in driving societal changes that affect all our lives."" -- Amber Fox Crowell City and Community

Author Information

John Iceland is Head of the Department of Sociology and Professor of Sociology and Demography at Penn State University. His research focuses on poverty, immigration, and racial and ethnic residential segregation issues. His latest books are Poverty in America: A Handbook, Third Edition and Where We Live Now: Immigration and Race in the United States, both from University of California Press.

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