Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence (Rutgers Series in Childhood Studies)

As a Black woman who graduated with a degree in Sociology from a private liberal arts university, this was the first full ethnography that I read by a Black woman. Which is saying something.. The intentionality that Jones went in to, with how much to share, considering whether she was re-stigmatizing/sensationalizing the young women as she told her story, just the deep thought that she had was incredible. I did not agree with everything, but the clarity which she presented her conclusions and the methods that brought her to them were both thoughtful and rigorous. This book should be required to read for every sociology major.

This book was really interesting. It was a required reading for a sociology class at UCSB. Nikki Jones writes a compelling ethnography that follows case studies of girls as they have negotiated school, family life, and neighborhoods that are governed by the "code of the street" -- the form of street justice that controls violence in distressed urban areas. Jones describes the strategies that girls use to navigate interpersonal and gender-specific conflict. Jones further delineates what makes a "good" girl good and a "bad" girl bad.

This is an excellent ethnography that examines the life of African American girls in inner city Philadelphia. It fills a much needed gap in understanding how gender, race, and economic oppression shape the lives of these girls, as previous ethnographic research of Philadelphia has focused on men. I assign the book in my Social Deviance course and am amazed with the solely positive reviews of students.

A lot of the stories told in this book, I have either gone through personally or viewed through close friends or family. This booked affirmed most of my ideas I already had on some issues.

This book is a great book that taught me how our society prevents certain groups of individual to advance and make a life for themselves. Also shows the struggles some girls have in hard neighborhoods and how they have to be to survive.

Exactly what I expected when I purchased it. Good condition, light wear. I really can't complain about it at all.

A very good tool for those in urban studies or anyone who needs to understand the world around them. Written well and understandable.

Well written, very interesting and illuminating. Dr. Jones is a brilliant sociologist and her perspective is illuminating. Highly recommended.