Families in America

"I read Susan Brown's book with pleasure. It is a succinct and savvy account of our rapidly changing family system. It stands out as an empirically rich and judicious treatment of the American family."--Frank Furstenberg, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Behind the Academic Curtain: How to Find Success and Happiness with a Ph.D. "I used Families in America text for my undergraduate course, Finances and Families, this semester here at UW Madison. The book was perfect for this interdisciplinary class, which was a mix of family demography, sociology, and household finance. I am a sociologist by training and wanted to bring in a sociological perspective of the family. We spent the first half of the class working through defining a family, discussing trends and changes in family processes, and understanding economic inequalities within and across families, using the book as a guide, before moving into topics on financial decision-making and negotiation within the family. Families in America provided a great foundation to the class, and the students found it very accessible. I plan to use it for next year's class as well."--Megan Doherty Bea, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison