Doing the Best I Can

Fatherhood in the Inner City

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Urban, Anthropology, Gender Studies
Cover of the book Doing the Best I Can by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson ISBN: 9780520955134
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: June 1, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
ISBN: 9780520955134
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: June 1, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as "deadbeat dads." Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical redefinition of family life where the father-child bond is central and parental ties are peripheral.

Drawing on years of fieldwork, Doing the Best I Can shows how mammoth economic and cultural changes have transformed the meaning of fatherhood among the urban poor. Intimate interviews with more than 100 fathers make real the significant obstacles faced by low-income men at every step in the familial process: from the difficulties of romantic relationships, to decision-making dilemmas at conception, to the often celebratory moment of birth, and finally to the hardships that accompany the early years of the child's life, and beyond.

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

Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as "deadbeat dads." Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical redefinition of family life where the father-child bond is central and parental ties are peripheral.

Drawing on years of fieldwork, Doing the Best I Can shows how mammoth economic and cultural changes have transformed the meaning of fatherhood among the urban poor. Intimate interviews with more than 100 fathers make real the significant obstacles faced by low-income men at every step in the familial process: from the difficulties of romantic relationships, to decision-making dilemmas at conception, to the often celebratory moment of birth, and finally to the hardships that accompany the early years of the child's life, and beyond.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Friendship by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Being Christian in Vandal Africa by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book The Argonautika by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Hindu Goddesses by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Coming to Terms with the Nation by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Stories in the Time of Cholera by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Race and Crime by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Bordeaux/Burgundy by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Racial Propositions by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Royal Fever by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Earth Sound Earth Signal by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Real Indians by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Living at the Edges of Capitalism by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
Cover of the book Latinos, Inc. by Kathryn Edin, Timothy J. Nelson
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