Social Inequality in a Global Age examines systems of inequality in the U.S. based on race, class, gender and sexuality, as well as the dynamics of power and privilege. While the focus is on U.S., the the book discusses the interplay of systems of inequality in the U.S, and the changing global economy.
Not rating because it was a textbook but also 5000 stars out of 5 for this line and this line only: "One day, as he reached to scoop another Santa out of the machine and into a box, the machine press came down on his arm and severed his hand. Fu's recovery was slow and painful, and he could no longer work in any of the factories where the work required speed and dexterity. His employee, a Taiwanese industrialist with offices in Hong Kong, offered him a small "severance package" (severance taking on a new meaning in this case)." WHAT but also a little dry, lots of text without much breaking it up
He takes a very heavy Marxist perspective to everything, which is valuable for some topics. Others though, he completely lacks on, such as sex and gender where he essentially cherry-picks context and what is considered "oppression." Also, despite having considerably up-to-date editions, there remains offensive and outdated language throughout the book. Overall, so incredibly shallow on what he deems "less important" and not worth the read.
A decent stratification textbook. I have a few others that I prefer because of the way that they are organized. This book is well researched and well written. Some of the examples could be expanded to relate to college students.