The Bottom Rung

''This exciting and innovative analysis should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the origins of African-American family structure...Although the book has much to offer specialists, it is suitable for a broad audience, including undergraduates in introductory courses... A major contribution to the literature.'' - Steven Ruggles, American Journal of Sociology ''By viewing developments over the course of the century, first in the rural South and then in urban settings, Tolnay explains how economic changes, government policies, and racial discrimination affected black families. Tolnay's arguments are persuasive, and his study deserves careful attention.'' - William F. Holmes, The Journal of American History ''A solid piece of scholarship. Tolnay's analysis illustrates the vital demographic patterns that defined southern black life in the first half of the 20th century, without forgetting the people behind the numbers.'' - Labour History ''Both a useful introduction to the demography of African-Americans and an important work that definitively established important patterns of African-American demographic behavior in the first half of the 20th century... A solid piece of scholarship.'' -- Labor History ADVANCE PRAISE ''Tolnay's argument contradicts the received wisdom of both the popular media and much scholarship. This is a timely and critical study, important for scholars and forthose interested in public policy.''-Orville Vernon Burton, author of In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina