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Ethnic America Paperback – February 1, 1981

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 350 ratings

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This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of nine American ethnic groups -- the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans.
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From the Publisher

Sowell Sowell Sowell Sowell Sowell Sowell
Social Justice Fallacies Wealth, Poverty and Politics The Thomas Sowell Reader Knowledge And Decisions Late-Talking Children Charter Schools and Their Enemies
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Explore the works of Thomas Sowell In this instant New York Times bestseller, renowned economist Thomas Sowell demolishes the myths that underpin the social justice movement In Wealth, Poverty, and Politics, Thomas Sowell, one of the foremost conservative public intellectuals in this country, argues that political and ideological struggles have led to dangerous confusion about income inequality in America. A one-volume introduction to over three decades of the wide-ranging writings of one of America's most respected and cited authors In the context of The Vision of the Annointed, Sowell, one of America's most celebrated public intellectuals, describes in concrete detail how knowledge is shared and disseminated throughout modern society. The painful and baffling mystery as to why some obviously bright children do not begin talking until long after the "normal" time is explored in this book through personal experiences and the findings of scientific research. A leading conservative intellectual defends charter schools against the teachers' unions, politicians, and liberal educators who threaten to dismantle their success.

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About the Author

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of dozens of books including Charter Schools and Their Enemies, winner of the 2021 Hayek Book Prize. He is the recipient of numerous other awards, including the National Humanities Medal, presented by the President of the United States in 2003.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (February 1, 1981)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465020755
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465020751
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1710L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.83 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 350 ratings

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4.8 out of 5 stars
350 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insightful and well-researched information about cultures and migrations. They describe it as a great, brilliant, and highly readable history of the American experience. The writing style is described as clear, unbiased, and easy to understand. However, opinions differ on whether the book offers good value for money.

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29 customers mention "Information quality"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides insightful and well-researched information about cultures and migrations. They appreciate its concise history of America's major ethnic groups that clearly show how ethnic history creates those groups. The book helped them with research papers for college and provided detailed analysis of the origins of each ethnic group who came to the United States.

"...In either case, I think that Thomas Sowell has an excellent analysis when it comes to analyzing the progress with unknown facts...." Read more

"...and progress of ethnic groups in the United States, and a persuasive analysis of the reasons for the progress or lack of progress of different groups..." Read more

"Excellent history of the beginning groups that came to America." Read more

"Like the rest of Dr. Sowell's books, Ethnic America is superbly researched and written in the kind of lucid prose that makes Sowell's work's at once..." Read more

25 customers mention "Readability"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-researched. They describe it as a brilliant history of the American people and an excellent work by Thomas Sowell.

"This is one of the best books I have ever read. I like how Sowell mentions the role of culture in the way different immigrant groups have progressed...." Read more

"...Definitely a worthwhile read." Read more

"Absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time...." Read more

"...Expand on learning about ethnic groups in his another excellent book on the subject "Migrations and Cultures", same topic but goes beyond of borders..." Read more

13 customers mention "Writing style"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's writing style excellent, clear, and easy to read. They describe it as a brilliantly written history of the American experience. The author writes in a neutral, unbiased tone.

"...'s books, Ethnic America is superbly researched and written in the kind of lucid prose that makes Sowell's work's at once highly accessible and..." Read more

"...that he bases most of the book on facts, not fiction and writes in a neutral, unbiased tone...." Read more

"...Well written. Extremely well-written." Read more

"...this topic, and he was able to organize the myriad contents into a very clear, easy-to-follow framework...." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed views on the book's value. Some find it a solid economic analysis of American progress and an excellent account of the socioeconomic rise of nine ethic groups. Others say it has a small print and is poorly priced.

"Thomas Sowell’s Ethnic America is an excellent account of the socioeconomic rise of nine ethic groups that makeup part of the American mosaic...." Read more

"It was a gift and he was happyThe price was right and the delivery." Read more

"...Pick the best value for you." Read more

"Small print ; ridiculous. Price unfair for sorry reprint" Read more

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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book, given most of privileges and hardships of the ethnicities in the development of our nation. Bought for my U.S Economics class and really actually enjoyed it!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
    This is one of the best books I have ever read. I like how Sowell mentions the role of culture in the way different immigrant groups have progressed. It sounds like immigration restrictions are needed to keep out some underperforming groups.

    In either case, I think that Thomas Sowell has an excellent analysis when it comes to analyzing the progress with unknown facts. I personally find it amazing that he was able to do such a through, detailed analysis. I highly recommend someone to read this book .
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
    This book is both a fascinating history of the origins and progress of ethnic groups in the United States, and a persuasive analysis of the reasons for the progress or lack of progress of different groups. I would love to see a new edition with more recent statistics.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
    Thomas Sowell’s Ethnic America is an excellent account of the socioeconomic rise of nine ethic groups that makeup part of the American mosaic. Although Sowell covers their histories before they reach America, his primary intension is not to write history. He uses history to find “factors that advance and retard the progress of groups.”
    Sowell identifies three main patterns. First, emigration shows whether individuals intend to stay temporarily or permanently. And that decision results in varying degrees of contributions to American institutions and its unique culture. Furthermore, government immigration policies either adversely or positively impact those decisions, and consequently, results in unintended outcomes. Second, acculturation patterns are correlated with intended emigration goals. Among Mexicans, for example, the persistence of speaking a foreign language is higher than other ethnic groups. This reflects the different preferences of early and later generations in preserving their authentic Mexican culture. Third, family condition patterns foreshadow the level of community involvement and the extent that groups sacrifice to progress in society. For example, German Jews interacted with their surrounding community to much greater extent than Russian Jews who were more culturally self-restricted and isolated within an all-Jewish community.
    Sowell shows how factors such as: culture, geography, education, discrimination, violence, age, birth rates, etc., impacted socioeconomic progress. Each group overcame obstacles to succeed. Japanese Americans endured decades of discriminatory laws and practices and the injustice of wartime interment camps, and yet today (time of publication) their median family incomes are 32 percent above the national average. Mexican Americans endured hostilities and massive waves of deportation throughout the decades, and still made great strides relative to other groups that started from an agricultural background. Numerous well-known Mexican Americans have emerged in sports and entertainment, while others have made progress in scholarship, science, and high-level professions. After enduring 200 years of slavery, Black Americans as a group have “moved from a position of utter destitution—in money, knowledge, and rights—to a place alongside of other groups emerging from the great struggles of life. None have had to come from so far back to join their fellow Americans.”
    Ethnic America’s key takeaways are: One, in a sense America is a nation of immigrants, but the blanket term covers many important distinctions among the various peoples who came to America. Two, cultures are not “superior” or “inferior.” They are better or worse adapted to a particular set of circumstances. Three, rather than arguing over the advantages or disadvantages of diversity, the discussion should highlight its pervasiveness in American history and the way people have coped with its frictions and problems by putting physical and social distance between themselves. Fourth, inter-group hostility has usually been greatest among groups most alike in their social and economic conditions, and better relations have been more common among groups that are quite different.
    The history of American ethic groups is a story of similar patterns and profound differences, of pain and pride and achievement. It is the story of the human spirit in different guises.
    43 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
    Excellent history of the beginning groups that came to America.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2015
    Like the rest of Dr. Sowell's books, Ethnic America is superbly researched and written in the kind of lucid prose that makes Sowell's work's at once highly accessible and precise. The premise of the book is itself informative - that ethnic groups differ greatly demographically and in the way their cultural histories shape their present opportunities. This is true not only between different ethnic groups but within groups and across time. As usual, Sowell provides ample real life examples as he charts the histories of major ethnic groups in the US. The outcomes of the Japanese Americans, for instance, are heavily influenced by the history of Japan, the history of Japanese in America, the fact that by and large Japanese Americans originated from a narrow social stratum and from specific regions and hence were not representative of Japanese as a whole, and the time in which they immigrated to America and the purposes of their immigration.

    Ethnic America is fascinating not only as an ethnography of America but also as a work of history, charting the stories of people from around the world and fleshing out the implications of differences between those histories. Definitely a worthwhile read.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2010
    Even thought it's a little dated, this book provides a fascinating look at different ethnic groups & how they've been able to fare after migrating to the United States. I would have to say that living in NYC around most of the groups described in this book, Sowells conclusions are mostly spot on. It's also very helpful that he bases most of the book on facts, not fiction and writes in a neutral, unbiased tone.

    The only groups that are obviously missing & relevant to today's ever changing face of America are South Asians, Arabs & Russians. I hope that the author can provide a second edition to include these groups as well, since they play an important role in shaping the history of our great country as much as the groups already discussed.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Djyll
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2020
    I would never have believed that such a plethora of statistics could be made into such a fascinating read. I lived in the US shortly after this was written and I now understand it much better, I also saw the evidence of much that he wrote. A truly remarkable effort: so accurate, and very deep whilst still eminently readable, if only one chapter a night!
    Every pupil should have to read this every year while at school. It would promote both understanding and tolerance.
  • HELOISE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Version originale
    Reviewed in France on September 5, 2012
    Comment je l'aime!!!
    J'ai collectionné le même bouquin en TROIS langues.
    Il répond presque toutes mes questions par rapports à l'ethnie et l'adaptation après immigration.
  • J. Clark
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2018
    Thomas Sowell at his very best. An outstanding book by a true genius. Informative, historically fascinating and a fantastically readable book
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2017
    Love this book.
  • Ross
    4.0 out of 5 stars Informative but dry.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2009
    Thomas Sowell's study of a few of the ethnic groups that make up the United States is a valuable contribution to discussions about race. He takes a number of ethnic groups and uses contemporary sources to see how they progressed over the period since they entered the United States. Individually each section is interesting and informative with fascinating anecdotes and statistics throughout. Seeing how some group traits remain in place over a period of decades or more and how some traits disappear as the groups integrate into the mainstream is

    Whilst the general trend is of groups becoming more assimilated and more typical of the USA over time, different groups demonstrated different behaviours back in their countries of origin and these traits often persisted for decades or centuries after the groups were Americans. Thus even when groups lived next to each other in the USA the outcomes for each were very different on a variety of different measures, be it educational achievement, political success, crime rates and economic success.

    Not all groups assimilate at the same rate or to the same extent however there are trends which are common among all groups. There are exceptions to this general pattern, the Mexicans for example haven't integrated as quickly as the European groups because of the proximity of Mexico to the USA lessens the imperative to integrate. Blacks were until the post-War era frequently prevented from integrating.

    As with most of Sowell's books the analysis is logical and evidence based. This means that his analysis of immigration is neither alarmist nor pollyannaish. Most immigrant groups do integrate over time but there are real costs to be borne along the way.

    The no nonsense writing style can make the book somewhat dry at times but that is a minor quibble.