Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Sheila's Shop invites us into a Southern beauty parlor to meet working-class African American women. We get to know the women individually as they discuss everything from relationships and beauty to politics, equality, race, gender, and class. We hear them speak in their own words about their families and communities and the struggles they face in all areas of life. Sheila's Shop acts as a microcosm of female, working-class, African-American society. Kimberly Battle-Walters spent over sixteen months interviewing and listening to women at Sheila's Shop while researching this valuable ethnographic work. Literature and the media tend to report either on the lives of upwardly mobile, middle-class African Americans or on the poor, ignoring working-class women. Sheila's Shop focuses on these women, introducing a conceptual model of 'racial and gender victorization' to explain the process by which working-class African American women learn to see themselves as victors rather than victims, despite their complex and often difficult lives. This book also provides insight into the informal support networks that are fostered in public places such as beauty shops_these support networks lay the foundation for strong African American women, families, and communities.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• Chapter 1 Sheila's Shop (p. 13)
• Chapter 2 The Realities of Being Black and Female (p. 29)
• Chapter 3 African American Families and Communities (p. 57)
• Chapter 4 Racial Matters (p. 75)
• Chapter 5 Standing Strong (p. 93)
• Chapter 6 Beyond Sheila's Shop: A New Discussion (p. 105)
• Appendix A Interview Questions (p. 115)
• Appendix B Demographics (p. 117)
• Appendix C Methods (p. 121)
• Bibliography (p. 123)
• Index (p. 131)
• About the Author (p. 135)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Many studies of class structure in the US show African American women as among the most disadvantaged. This is not surprising, experts argue, because their race and gender often put them at a double disadvantage. However, instead of succumbing to the obstacles created by these disadvantages, many African American women show an incredible resiliency that often turns them from victims to victors as they struggle to support their children and themselves. In order to explain how they do it, this insightful book follows a group of working-class African American women who patronize or work at Sheila's beauty shop. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation, Battle-Walters (social work, Azusa Pacific Univ.) gained valuable information on how these women negotiate intersections of race, gender, and class in their everyday lives. As they talked about themselves, their families, and the status of racial relations in the US, they revealed a deep understanding of the obstacles they faced. They also identified the strengths that allowed them to survive and thrive, including their resourcefulness, creativity, strong faith in God, and network of family and friends. This book is a must read for anyone interested in issues of race, gender, and class. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. G. Rabrenovic Northeastern University