Ben linked an article about community organzing and the strength of community institutions and the relationship to crime here. Substantive discussion never really got going, but it is worth a look.

I had a very 'eh' reaction to "Code of the Street" when I read it, I think because I don't totally "get" ethnography. But when I think back to it, which is actually frequent, I think he has a lot of good material on how people adapt to the pretty dysfunctional neighborhoods in which they live. It's sad that because of institutional drama and whatever else, that Philadelphia's lost him.

I've been reading Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh. His book on the underground economy, which was discussed somewhat on here, was okay. But I am excited to read his "American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto," which I bought and which my cat has eaten half the cover from, so I probably have to get to it soon before it is totally shredded.

I also loved "Dignity of Resistance: Women Residents' Activism in Chicago Public Housing," which is a very deep ethnography that has a lot to say/show about how people are attached to their (even deeply flawed) homeplaces and a range of attempts to explore self-organization.

But I still have to look to see what shorter pieces I can dig up.

The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor by Katherine Newman and Victor Chen.

Argues that while public policy analysts have focused on those who fall below poverty line, scant attention has been paid to families with 2 children making 20,000---40,000, an income which disqualifies them for most public subsidies, but is inadequate for meeting basic needs.