Examines two books ("Who Gets Ahead" and "Small Futures") that consider the role of the school in assuring students of social and economic equality once they are out of school. (IRT)

As a contribution to Black protest historiography, "Along the Color Line" contains some good empirical work on a number of Black leaders, ideologies, and civil rights organizations. However, Meier and Rudwick fail to provide an original and coherent perspective on the nature and function of Black leadership and ideology. (Author/EB)

Reviews "How Fathers Care for the Next Generation," by John Snarey. Suggests the book is notable less for its conceptual innovation and rigor than for the richness of the interview data. Commends Snarey' demonstration that individual experiences exert powerful influences on subsequent life trajectories and that even the most determined…

Reflects on Allan Bloom's book "The Closing of the American Mind," discussing critics' opinions and the book's links or discords with various philosophers' ideals. Identifies weaknesses in Bloom's work, but sees it as a warning about U.S. democratic future. (DMM)