The Sociologically Examined Life: Pieces of the Conversation

by Michael Schwalbe

The Sociologically Examined Life is a lively and concise text that uses analyses of everyday life to inspire students to think sociologically about society and about themselves as social actors.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Social Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Suzanne Roussin]

Slightly interesting but extremely liberally biased, which is ironic for a text about sociology. For example, when referring to the abortion debate, he calls people who don't believe in abortion "supporters of forced motherhood", while saying people who support abortion laws are defending women's liberties. Isn't a healthier approach to a sociological conversation from an attitude of trying to see both sides of a disagreement? The context for this book calls for an unbiased look at our society, and Schwalbe does NOT deliver. I can't believe this is an accepted text in come colleges.

[JP Burns]

I had to read this for my Intro to Sociology class in college and it was profoundly inspiring! Too many people are often upset when reading a book like this, because it unveils many unfortunate truths about our society and how we must become "sociologically mindful" in order to help bring a bout a different way of life...although, if you are motivated by fear-mongering or have too many conservative values - I suggest you stay as far away from this book as possible; the cognitive dissonance you will experience might actually be traumatic.

[Lorena saraniero]

ayeeee hab das erste semester überlebt - barely

[Sima]

3.8
I had to read this for my sociology lecture in uni and It's the first lecture in uni I genuinely liked reading :) very interesting perspective and introduction to sociology

[Kersten Speed]

Brilliant piece of work, thought provoking and challenging.

[Camille Solo]

I love the way Shwalbe writes. I'd recommend reading this to everyone. Even if you don't know anything about social work, he has a clear way of articulating his understandings of the world and it allows the reader to gain an overall perspective as well.

[Karishma]

Read this for a sociology class and would definitely recommend as an intro. Best to discuss thoughts with a group!

[Grace McCoy]

also read this for my soc class, cool perspective on things

[Hanna Belle]

So this book doesn’t read like a typical textbook for a basic Sociology class. It reads more like an informational book and it uses real world examples to illustrate points/definitions rather than a clear, straightforward answer. This book was tricky at time since I’m used to the straightforward answer but not bad for required reading.

[William Crosby]

Approaches sociology from an everyday rather than conceptual perspective and encourages you to think (through examples and explanations) about what happens in your life and society in a mindfully sociological way.

Note that the author definitely has his own set of values which he promotes and argues for through his own answers to various sociological questions. However, instead of judging the book based on his values (as some readers do), follow his examples, reevaluate what he says and reevaluate what you think is going on around you.

Primary purpose of this book: get you to rethink what is happening and to reevaluate why what is happening and what alternatives are possible. Do not ever assume that just because we, our peers, our society, our laws do something a certain way or say that we "must" do something a certain way, that we are locked into doing it that way. Reexamining our assumptions can also enable us to creatively think of alternatives.

[Zach]

Like Feminism is For Everybody, this is a book I wish I (and everyone else) had been forced to read in high school.

[Carol Elliott]

I loved the book and it should impact everyone's life. Short, concise, deeply compelling read written by a sociology professor.

[Saul Chan Htoo Sang]

Although this is a good book to start for someone who is not acquainted with sociology, it can be repetitive and wordy. To be honest, I feel like the whole book can be presented in like a solid 3 or 4 pages.