Death of a Suburban Dream

Race and Schools in Compton, California

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Urban, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Death of a Suburban Dream by Emily E. Straus, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Emily E. Straus ISBN: 9780812209587
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: March 10, 2014
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Emily E. Straus
ISBN: 9780812209587
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: March 10, 2014
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

Compton, California, is often associated in the public mind with urban America's toughest problems, including economic disinvestment, gang violence, and failing public schools. Before it became synonymous with inner-city decay, however, Compton's affordability, proximity to manufacturing jobs, and location ten miles outside downtown Los Angeles made it attractive to aspiring suburbanites seeking single-family homes and quality schools. As Compton faced challenges in the twentieth century, and as the majority population shifted from white to African American and then to Latino, the battle for control over the school district became symbolic of Compton's economic, social, and political crises.

Death of a Suburban Dream explores the history of Compton from its founding in the late nineteenth century to the present, taking on three critical issues—the history of race and educational equity, the relationship between schools and place, and the complicated intersection of schooling and municipal economies—as they shaped a Los Angeles suburb experiencing economic and demographic transformation. Emily E. Straus carefully traces the roots of antagonism between two historically disenfranchised populations, blacks and Latinos, as these groups resisted municipal power sharing within a context of scarcity. Using archival research and oral histories, this complex narrative reveals how increasingly racialized poverty and violence made Compton, like other inner-ring suburbs, resemble a troubled urban center. Ultimately, the book argues that Compton's school crisis is not, at heart, a crisis of education; it is a long-term crisis of development.

Avoiding simplistic dichotomies between urban and suburban, Death of a Suburban Dream broadens our understanding of the dynamics connecting residents and institutions of the suburbs, as well as the changing ethnic and political landscape in metropolitan America.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Compton, California, is often associated in the public mind with urban America's toughest problems, including economic disinvestment, gang violence, and failing public schools. Before it became synonymous with inner-city decay, however, Compton's affordability, proximity to manufacturing jobs, and location ten miles outside downtown Los Angeles made it attractive to aspiring suburbanites seeking single-family homes and quality schools. As Compton faced challenges in the twentieth century, and as the majority population shifted from white to African American and then to Latino, the battle for control over the school district became symbolic of Compton's economic, social, and political crises.

Death of a Suburban Dream explores the history of Compton from its founding in the late nineteenth century to the present, taking on three critical issues—the history of race and educational equity, the relationship between schools and place, and the complicated intersection of schooling and municipal economies—as they shaped a Los Angeles suburb experiencing economic and demographic transformation. Emily E. Straus carefully traces the roots of antagonism between two historically disenfranchised populations, blacks and Latinos, as these groups resisted municipal power sharing within a context of scarcity. Using archival research and oral histories, this complex narrative reveals how increasingly racialized poverty and violence made Compton, like other inner-ring suburbs, resemble a troubled urban center. Ultimately, the book argues that Compton's school crisis is not, at heart, a crisis of education; it is a long-term crisis of development.

Avoiding simplistic dichotomies between urban and suburban, Death of a Suburban Dream broadens our understanding of the dynamics connecting residents and institutions of the suburbs, as well as the changing ethnic and political landscape in metropolitan America.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Consuming Pleasures by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book The Next Economic Disaster by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Human Rights in American Foreign Policy by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Connecting Histories by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book American Justice 2017 by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book The Birth of Orientalism by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book No Use by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Architects of Delusion by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Monsters by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Colonial Complexions by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book The Jet Sex by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Armies and Insurgencies in the Arab Spring by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Deadly Encounters by Emily E. Straus
Cover of the book Early African American Print Culture by Emily E. Straus
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy