We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published:
Penguin Publishing Group 2011
Status:
Checked Out
Description
A distinguished Stanford law professor examines the steep decline in marriage rates among the African American middle class, and offers a paradoxical-nearly incendiary-solution.
Black women are three times as likely as white women to never marry.
That sobering statistic reflects a broader reality: African Americans are the most unmarried people in our nation, and contrary to public perception the racial gap in marriage is not confined to women or the poor. Black men, particularly the most successful and affluent, are less likely to marry than their white counterparts. College educated black women are twice as likely as their white peers never to marry.
Is Marriage for White People? is the first book to illuminate the many facets of the African American marriage decline and its implications for American society. The book explains the social and economic forces that have undermined marriage for African Americans and that shape everyone's lives. It distills the best available research to trace the black marriage decline's far reaching consequences, including the disproportionate likelihood of abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, single parenthood, same sex relationships, polygamous relationships, and celibacy among black women.
This book centers on the experiences not of men or of the poor but of those black women who have surged ahead, even as black men have fallen behind. Theirs is a story that has not been told. Empirical evidence documents its social significance, but its meaning emerges through stories drawn from the lives of women across the nation. Is Marriage for White People? frames the stark predicament that millions of black women now face: marry down or marry out. At the core of the inquiry is a paradox substantiated by evidence and experience alike: If more black women married white men, then more black men and women would marry each other.
This book not only sits at the intersection of two large and well- established markets-race and marriage-it responds to yearnings that are widespread and deep in American society. The African American marriage decline is a secret in plain view about which people want to know more, intertwining as it does two of the most vexing issues in contemporary society. The fact that the most prominent family in our nation is now an African American couple only intensifies the interest, and the market. A book that entertains as it informs, Is Marriage for White People? will be the definitive guide to one of the most monumental social developments of the past half century.
Also in This Series
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
09/01/2011
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781101475645
ASIN:
B004BDP002
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Ralph Richard Banks. (2011). Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Ralph Richard Banks. 2011. Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Ralph Richard Banks, Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Penguin Publishing Group, 2011.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Ralph Richard Banks. Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Penguin Publishing Group, 2011.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection10
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
dec1d3e6-ca23-73b9-8172-992e62dbf337
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 16:16:38
Date Updated:
Dec 06, 2020 02:42:39
Last Metadata Check:
Apr 14, 2024 07:39:03
Last Metadata Change:
Mar 14, 2024 07:39:59
Last Availability Check:
Apr 14, 2024 07:39:06
Last Availability Change:
Apr 14, 2024 00:13:35
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Apr 18, 2024 02:10:20

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1523-1/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1523-1/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781101475645
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B004BDP002
      • name: Kindle Book
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781101475645
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • id: ebook-overdrive
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9780452297531
mediaType
eBook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Ralph Richard Banks
title
Is Marriage for White People?
dateAdded
2017-03-30T14:52:00-04:00
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=488924
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Is Marriage for White People How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone
crossRefId
488924
subtitle
How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone
id
0b7575dd-0e87-4175-a7c3-5bfae322fc44
starRating
5

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • fileName: IsMarriageforWhitePe_9781101475645_488924
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 262545
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781101475645
      • rights:
            • type: Copying
            • value: 0
            • type: Printing
            • value: 0
            • type: Lending
            • value: 0
            • type: ReadAloud
            • value: 0
            • type: ExpirationRights
            • value: 0
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • onSaleDate: 9/1/2011
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-epub-adobe
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-410/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/IsMarriageforWhitePeople9781101475645.epub
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: IsMarriageforWhitePe_488924
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B004BDP002
      • name: Kindle Book
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • onSaleDate: 9/1/2011
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-epub-adobe
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-410/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/IsMarriageforWhitePeople9781101475645.epub
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: IsMarriageforWhitePe_9781101475645_488924
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9781101475645
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 9/1/2011
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-epub-adobe
            • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-410/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/IsMarriageforWhitePeople9781101475645.epub
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
keywords
      • value: family
      • value: relationships
      • value: relationship
      • value: romance
      • value: America
      • value: marriage
      • value: love
      • value: Civil Rights
      • value: african american history
      • value: Wedding
      • value: trust
      • value: African American
      • value: History
      • value: marriage counseling
      • value: Sociology
      • value: social science
      • value: Black History Month
      • value: American society
      • value: history books
      • value: black authors
      • value: african american books
      • value: marriage books
      • value: black history books
      • value: relationship books
      • value: sociology books
      • value: couples gifts
      • value: gifts for couples
      • value: marriage gifts
      • value: books for couples
      • value: couple gifts
      • value: marriage workbooks for couples
      • value: relationship gifts
      • value: true crime gifts
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Banks, Ralph Richard
      • name: Ralph Richard Banks
imprint
Plume
publishDate
2011-09-01T00:00:00-04:00
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
Is Marriage for White People?
fullDescription
A distinguished Stanford law professor examines the steep decline in marriage rates among the African American middle class, and offers a paradoxical-nearly incendiary-solution.
Black women are three times as likely as white women to never marry.
That sobering statistic reflects a broader reality: African Americans are the most unmarried people in our nation, and contrary to public perception the racial gap in marriage is not confined to women or the poor. Black men, particularly the most successful and affluent, are less likely to marry than their white counterparts. College educated black women are twice as likely as their white peers never to marry.
Is Marriage for White People? is the first book to illuminate the many facets of the African American marriage decline and its implications for American society. The book explains the social and economic forces that have undermined marriage for African Americans and that shape everyone's lives. It distills the best available research to trace the black marriage decline's far reaching consequences, including the disproportionate likelihood of abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, single parenthood, same sex relationships, polygamous relationships, and celibacy among black women.
This book centers on the experiences not of men or of the poor but of those black women who have surged ahead, even as black men have fallen behind. Theirs is a story that has not been told. Empirical evidence documents its social significance, but its meaning emerges through stories drawn from the lives of women across the nation. Is Marriage for White People? frames the stark predicament that millions of black women now face: marry down or marry out. At the core of the inquiry is a paradox substantiated by evidence and experience alike: If more black women married white men, then more black men and women would marry each other.
This book not only sits at the intersection of two large and well- established markets-race and marriage-it responds to yearnings that are widespread and deep in American society. The African American marriage decline is a secret in plain view about which people want to know more, intertwining as it does two of the most vexing issues in contemporary society. The fact that the most prominent family in our nation is now an African American couple only intensifies the interest, and the market. A book that entertains as it informs, Is Marriage for White People? will be the definitive guide to one of the most monumental social developments of the past half century.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        June 27, 2011
        Banks, a Stanford law professor, examines why black Americans maintain the lowest marriage and highest divorce rates in the nation, focusing most sharply on the high likelihood a black woman will remain single, a product of the scarcity of black men in the marriage market, their number depleted by high incarceration rates. This "man shortage" leaves those who are available in high demand and with less impetus to commit to one woman. In the U.S., wives earn a larger percentage of the household income than ever and are more likely to have completed college than their husbands. This trend is most acute among African-Americans , which coupled with how African-American women outperform their male counterparts contributes to the high African-American divorce rate. Banks suggests that black women should stop being so willing to "marry down" and consider "marrying out"—marrying nonblack men. Such a choice restores equality to black male and female relationships by depriving black men of the power they enjoy as the result of being scarce commodities. Furthermore, Banks argues provocatively, "for black women, interracial marriage doesn't abandon the race, it serves the race." Peppered with interviews and candid opinions about marriage and relationships, this is a surprisingly intimate scholarly work; the sobering topic is tempered by the author's easy-to-read, captivating style.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        June 15, 2011

        A scholarly account of African-Americans' encounters with the marriage gap.

        In his debut (Law/Stanford Law School), Banks explores the marriage gap between African-Americans and whites, concluding that fewer African-Americans marry and stay married due to "the changing conception of marriage, and the changing educational and economic positions of men and women." Add to this the "numbers imbalance" between the wide array of eligible African-American females and an African-American male population in short supply—an unevenness Banks attributes to incarceration, interracial marriage and a lack of economic opportunities for black men. Banks argues that while many African-American women seek out highly educated African-American men, these same men are statistically more likely to date women outside their own race, prompting the pool of prospective suitors to dwindle further. As a result of this imbalance, many African-American men find little incentive to engage in a monogamous relationship: "Why cash in when you can continue to play?" The author writes that "[b]lack men maintain nonexclusive relationships for the same reason as other men: because they can." Banks tempers his statistically driven arguments by weaving in intriguing personal interviews. This technique, both quantitative and qualitative in its approach, provides the groundwork for a brave and convincing argument—one that reveals a startling trend in the decline of African-American marriages.

        A triumphant work that demystifies the intersection between compatibility and color.

         

        (COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        November 15, 2010

        The Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Banks points out that across classes black marriages are declining. In fact, black women are three times as likely as white women to remain unmarried. Why? As black women surge forward in terms of earnings and education, says Banks, they face marrying down or marrying out. Expect some controversy.

        Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        June 15, 2011

        A scholarly account of African-Americans' encounters with the marriage gap.

        In his debut (Law/Stanford Law School), Banks explores the marriage gap between African-Americans and whites, concluding that fewer African-Americans marry and stay married due to "the changing conception of marriage, and the changing educational and economic positions of men and women." Add to this the "numbers imbalance" between the wide array of eligible African-American females and an African-American male population in short supply--an unevenness Banks attributes to incarceration, interracial marriage and a lack of economic opportunities for black men. Banks argues that while many African-American women seek out highly educated African-American men, these same men are statistically more likely to date women outside their own race, prompting the pool of prospective suitors to dwindle further. As a result of this imbalance, many African-American men find little incentive to engage in a monogamous relationship: "Why cash in when you can continue to play?" The author writes that "[b]lack men maintain nonexclusive relationships for the same reason as other men: because they can." Banks tempers his statistically driven arguments by weaving in intriguing personal interviews. This technique, both quantitative and qualitative in its approach, provides the groundwork for a brave and convincing argument--one that reveals a startling trend in the decline of African-American marriages.

        A triumphant work that demystifies the intersection between compatibility and color.

        (COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

popularity
27
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/0b7575dd-0e87-4175-a7c3-5bfae322fc44/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
0b7575dd-0e87-4175-a7c3-5bfae322fc44
starRating
4.3
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1523-1/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1523-1/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1523-1/0B7/575/DD/{0B7575DD-0E87-4175-A7C3-5BFAE322FC44}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Family & Relationships
      • value: Sociology
      • value: Nonfiction
publishDateText
09/01/2011
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9780525952015
mediaType
eBook
shortDescription
A distinguished Stanford law professor examines the steep decline in marriage rates among the African American middle class, and offers a paradoxical-nearly incendiary-solution.
Black women are three times as likely as white women to never marry.
That sobering statistic reflects a broader reality: African Americans are the most unmarried people in our nation, and contrary to public perception the racial gap in marriage is not confined to women or the poor. Black men, particularly the most successful and affluent, are less likely to marry than their white counterparts. College educated black women are twice as likely as their white peers never to marry.
Is Marriage for White People? is the first book to illuminate the many facets of the African American marriage decline and its implications for American society. The book explains the social and economic forces that have undermined marriage for African Americans and that shape everyone's lives....
sortTitle
Is Marriage for White People How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone
crossRefId
488924
subtitle
How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone
publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
bisacCodes
      • code: FAM030000
      • description: Family & Relationships / Marriage & Long-Term Relationships
      • code: SOC001000
      • description: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies
      • code: SOC026010
      • description: Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family