Those Who Work, Those Who Don't: Poverty, Morality, and Family in Rural America Book

This book provides an interesting insight into a rural California community whose economy was decimated by the Spotted Owl ruling. Written as a sociological study of the ways the fallout from that ruling has impacted moral, economic, social and cultural norms, the book strongly asserts that in depressed rural areas, the moral hierarchy gains importance and influcence as economic opportunity declines.

I greatly enjoyed reading the case studies, and the book does a very good job of proving several of its main assertions. However, in other cases, the comparison of rural findings to their urban counterparts is shaky. Although the book generally does a good job of maintaining a political objectivity, there are a number of instances where the logical leaps that are made can only result from deeply held opinions of the author. And, I found myself wondering what purpose the Conclusion's costly more immediate governmental policy recommendations would serve in the absence of the area's permanent longterm economic viability, which the author concedes is never likely to re-emerge.