AMERICAN APARTHEID: SEGREGATION AND THE MAKING OF THE UNDERCLASS (BOOK)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2781105
I read this book by Douglas Massey in the 1990s and it provides interesting ideas on why some sections of a city are more isolated and under served than others. Worth reading.

ANTI-RACISM READING LIST – NEW YORK TIMES 2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html
This article in NewYorkTimes, by Ibram X. Kendi, suggests books to help America transcend its racist heritage.

A SCHOOL REFORM READING LIST - FROM 2010
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wanna-be-a-school-reforme_b_765199
This points to a 2010 blog article post where a number of books are recommended for those who really want to educate themselves to understand the challenges and opportunities of improving the public education system. This is just one starting point for those who want to inform themselves.

BOOKS ON RACISM - 43 RECOMMENDED IN 6-2020 CHICAGO SUNTIMES
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/6/4/21279779/racism-childrens-books-ben-crump
This article in the 6-7-2020 Chicago SunTimes lists 43 suggested books to read about racism. 

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY NATIONAL TEEN E-CARD - MAKES BOOKS AVAILABLE TO TEENS THROUGHOUT USA
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/books-unbanned
Brooklyn Public Library's "Books Unbanned Initiative" is "a response to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books from tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves."  

CABRINI-GREEN: IN WORDS AND PICTURES
https://www.amazon.com/Cabrini-Green-Words-Pictures-David-Whitaker/dp/0942986806
This history of Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing neighborhood was written by David Whitaker, a volunteer with the Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Program. Dave was aided by students from the program and many are quoted in the book.

COGNITIVE SURPLUS: HOW TECHNOLOGY MAKES CONSUMERS INTO COLLABORATORS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_Surplus
From the wiki:  "Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators is a 2010 non-fiction book by Clay Shirky, originally published in with the subtitle "Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age". 

The book's central theme is that people are now learning how to use more constructively the free time afforded to them since the 1940s for creative acts rather than consumptive ones, particularly with the advent of online tools that allow new forms of collaboration.[1] It goes on to catalog the means and motives behind these new forms of cultural production, as well as key examples."  Referred to in this blog article by Vance Stevens: http://advanceducation.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-cognitive-surplus-drives-us-to.html

CUTTING SCHOOL: THE SEGRENOMICS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION
https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-School-Privatization-Segregation-Education-ebook/dp/B01NC0V380
One description of this book by Noliwe M. Rooks,  on Amazon.com reads  "An astounding look at America’s segregated school system, weaving together historical dynamics of race, class, and growing inequality into one concise and commanding story. Cutting School puts our schools at the center of the fight for a new commons."—Naomi Klein, author of No Is Not Enough and This Changes Everything.

DREAM HOARDERS, BY RICHARD V. REEVES
https://www.brookings.edu/book/dream-hoarders/
Full title: Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It    From the web site: "Reeves shows, the growing separation between the upper middle class and everyone else can be seen in family structure, neighborhoods, attitudes, and lifestyle. Those at the top of the income ladder are becoming more effective at passing on their status to their children, reducing overall social mobility. The result is a fracturing of American society along class lines, not just an economic divide. Upper-middle-class children become upper-middle-class adults."

FROM THE BARRIO TO THE BOARD ROOM - INSPIRATIONAL
https://www.fromthebarrio.com/
From the web site: "The From the Barrio Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation committed to using author Robert Renteria’s life, business experience, and role as a civic leader to help eliminate conditions that foster violence, delinquency, drugs, and gangs. The book From the Barrio to the Board Room is a tool and Robert Renteria is a resource who promotes education, a sense of pride and accomplishment, and self-esteem within the youth of our communities."

GET ANTI-RACISM BOOKS INTO YOUR COMMUNITY - RECOMMENDED BOOKS
https://www.middleweb.com/43086/get-anti-racism-books-into-your-community/
This is a blog article that points to a list of anti-racism books that are recommended reading.  In the article the writer says "Since the first days of the protest, the internet has been flooded with lists and suggestions for people to join the fight against racism" and embeds two links that point to even more books to read. 

HERE COMES EVERYBODY, BY CLAY SHIRKY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Comes_Everybody
From Wikipedia:  "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations is a book by Clay Shirky published by Penguin Press in 2008, which evaluates the effect of the Internet on modern group dynamics. The author considers examples such as Wikipedia and MySpace in his analysis."

HOPE AND DESPAIR IN THE AMERICAN CITY
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674060265&content=reviews
Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh, written by Gerald Grant.   Read the review by Naomi Thiers.

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD - SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
https://www.ashoka.org/en/story/how-change-world
From the web site: "What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are, writes David Bornstein, the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up, and remake the world for the better. How to Change the World tells the fascinating stories of these remarkable individuals, many of whom are Ashoka Fellows. These stories highlight a massive transformation that is going largely unreported by the media. Around the world, the fastest-growing segment of society is the nonprofit sector, as millions of ordinary people — social entrepreneurs — are stepping in to solve many of the world’s most intractable problems where bureaucracies have failed. For anyone seeking to make a positive mark on the world, this will be both an inspiring read and an invaluable handbook. It will change the way you see the world."

HOW TO LIVE FOREVER: THE ENDURING POWER OF CONNECTING THE GENERATIONS
https://encore.org/howtoliveforever/
From the web site: "In How to Live Forever, Encore.org President and CEO Marc Freedman tells the story of his thirty-year quest to answer some of contemporary life’s most urgent questions: With so many living so much longer, what is the meaning of the increasing years beyond 50? How can a society with more older people than younger ones thrive? How do we find happiness when we know life is long and time is short?"

JACKSON RISING - A STRATEGIC PLAN AND HISTORY OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
https://cooperationjackson.org/blog/2018/2/15/jackson-rising-at-last-a-real-strategic-plan
This book is the history of "Cooperation Jackson, an emerging network of cooperatives and grassroots institutions in Jackson, Mississippi, that aim to build a “solidarity economy.”  It's described as "the rarest of things: a real strategic plan".

"JUST MERCY" BY BRYAN STEPHENSON
https://justmercy.eji.org/
From the web site: Just Mercy "presents the story of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), the people we represent, and the importance of confronting injustice. The book “is as gripping as it is disturbing,” wrote Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu, “as if America’s soul has been put on trial.”  This book was made into a movie in 2019.

KIDS LAW - GUIDE TO JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Law-Practical-Juvenile-Justice/dp/0964792559
From the web site: "Written for kids, parents, teachers, counselors, social workers, youth workers and anyone else involved in the lives of youth today, KIDS LAW: A Practical Guide to Juvenile Justice is a down-to-earth and invaluable guide to the many aspects of the Juvenile Justice system."

KILLING THE BLACK BODY: RACE, REPRODUCTION, AND THE MEANING OF LIBERTY
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Black-Body-Reproduction-Meaning/dp/0679758690
This is one of two recommended books by Dorothy E. Roberts. This is description on Amazon.com: "Killing the Black Body exposed America’s systemic abuse of Black women’s bodies. From slave masters’ economic stake in bonded women’s fertility to government programs that coerced thousands of poor Black women into being sterilized as late as the 1970s, these abuses pointed to the degradation of Black motherhood—and the exclusion of Black women’s reproductive needs in mainstream feminist and civil rights."    Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-Create Race in the Twenty-First Century is another book by Dorothy R. Roberts.

MAKING VOLUNTEERS: CIVIC LIFE AFTER WELFARE'S END
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691147093/making-volunteers
From the web site:  "Volunteering improves inner character, builds community, cures poverty, and prevents crime. We've all heard this kind of empowerment talk from nonprofit and government-sponsored civic programs. But what do these programs really accomplish? In Making Volunteers, Nina Eliasoph offers an in-depth, humorous, wrenching, and at times uplifting look inside youth and adult civic programs.”

MEDICAL APARTHEID: THE DARK HISTORY OF MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION ON BLACK AMERICANS FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO THE PRESENT
https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Apartheid-Experimentation-Americans-Colonial/dp/076791547X
Description of book from Amazon.com site: "Medical Apartheid is the first and only comprehensive history of medical experimentation on African Americans. Starting with the earliest encounters between black Americans and Western medical researchers and the racist pseudoscience that resulted,  it details the ways both slaves and freedmen were used in hospitals for experiments conducted without their knowledge—a tradition that continues today within some black populations."

MENTORING STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0749435437/102-7405600-3176934?v=glance&n=283155
This book presents mentors, plus anyone working with young people, with a guide to approaches to mentoring today. It looks at mentoring as a concept, how it is done well and how it can be made more effective.

MORE THAN A MENTORING PROGRAM: ATTACKING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
https://www.infoagepub.com/products/More-Than-a-Mentoring-Program
Description from publisher: "In striving to reduce racial achievement gaps, schools and youth development programs are increasingly turning to youth mentoring programs. But how to ensure success? Here, accomplished educators Graig Meyer and George Noblit reveal how one such program challenged institutional racism and eliminated persistent achievement disparities in a local school system that boasts a national reputation for excellence. The authors share personal lessons, strategic guidance, and detailed practical advice for education and community leaders seeking to create successful youth mentoring programs. Their story, backed by research, offers real-world perspective on the important work of challenging systemic racism in schools. Meyer and Noblit demonstrate how mentoring and advocacy come together in a strengths-based program that boosts academic success and post-secondary enrollment for youth of color, while also creating change to benefit all students in a school system." 

NO BS (BAD STATS): BLACK PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN BLACK PEOPLE ...
https://www.amazon.com/No-BS-Bad-Stats-Scholarship/dp/9004397027
The full title of this book is: No BS (Bad Stats):  Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear About Black People (Personal/Public Scholarship). Written by Ivory D. Toldson.  

OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN: CULTURAL CONFLICT IN THE CLASSROOM
https://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Children-Cultural-Classroom/dp/1595580743
Book description from Amazon.com: "In a radical analysis of contemporary classrooms, MacArthur Award–winning author Lisa Delpit develops ideas about ways teachers can be better “cultural transmitters” in the classroom, where prejudice, stereotypes, and cultural assumptions breed ineffective education. Delpit suggests that many academic problems attributed to children of color are actually the result of miscommunication, as primarily white teachers and “other people’s children” struggle with the imbalance of power and the dynamics plaguing our system. A new classic among educators, Other People’s Children is a must-read for teachers, administrators, and parents striving to improve the quality of America’s education system."

PUSHOUT: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS
https://www.amazon.com/Pushout-Criminalization-Black-Girls-Schools/dp/1620970945
This is book description from Amazon.com: "In a work that Lisa Delpit calls “imperative reading,” Monique W. Morris (Black Stats, Too Beautiful for Words) chronicles the experiences of Black girls across the country whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged—by teachers, administrators, and the justice system—and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish."

QUICK AND EFFECTIVE READING INTERVENTION TIPS
https://www.middleweb.com/39836/quick-and-effective-reading-intervention/
This is blog article that reviews a book titled: The Next Step Forward in Reading Intervention. The writer says "It contains a wealth of knowledge and intentional lessons set forth by two educators who have dedicated their work to growing students as readers.  The goal of this book is simple: provide ready-to-use lessons for short-term, small-group interventions. Depending on the level of student you are working with, either the phonics stage, or the comprehension stage, there is a RISE or RISE Up model for you." Take a look. 

RACECRAFT: THE SOUL OF INEQUALITY IN AMERICAN LIFE
https://www.amazon.com/Racecraft-Soul-Inequality-American-Life/dp/1781683131
This is the book's description on Amazon.com:  "Most people assume that racism grows from a perception of human difference: the fact of race gives rise to the practice of racism. Sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields argue otherwise: the practice of racism produces the illusion of race, through what they call “racecraft.” And this phenomenon is intimately entwined with other forms of inequality in American life. So pervasive are the devices of racecraft in American history, economic doctrine, politics, and everyday thinking that the presence of racecraft itself goes unnoticed."

SISTER CITIZEN: SHAME, STEREOTYPES, AND BLACK WOMEN IN AMERICA
https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Citizen-Shame-Stereotypes-America/dp/0300188188
This is description of this book from Amazon.com; 'In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images."

SO MUCH REFORM. SO LITTLE CHANGE
https://www.hepg.org/hep-home/books/so-much-reform,-so-little-change
From the web site:  "This frank and courageous book explores the persistence of failure in today’s urban schools. At its heart is the argument that most education policy discussions are disconnected from the daily realities of urban schools, especially those in poor and beleaguered neighborhoods. Charles M. Payne argues that we have failed to account fully for the weakness of the social infrastructure and the often dysfunctional organizational environments of urban schools and school systems.  I read this book, and it is one of the most depressing I've ever read, illustrating how so many dollars have been spent with so little impact, and how few prospects there are to change this in the future.  It reinforces my belief that we need to engage other adults beyond parents, educators and policy makers in learning about the problem and being part of the solutions."

SOCIAL RESEARCH BOOK LIST, OF RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION
https://www.russellsage.org/publications/bookstore
From the web site: "The Russell Sage Foundation is the principal American foundation devoted exclusively to research in the social sciences. Located in New York City, it is a research center, a funding source for studies by scholars at other academic and research institutions, and an active member of the nation's social science community. The foundation also publishes, under its own imprint, the books and a journal that derive from the work of its grantees and visiting scholars."

THE COLOR OF LAW: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT SEGREGATED AMERICA
https://www.epi.org/publication/the-color-of-law-a-forgotten-history-of-how-our-government-segregated-america/
From the website:  "This book by Richard Rothstein argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America -- the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife -- is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels."  Read this 2024 article by Rothstein, titled "Residential segregation is an educational crisis. How the No Child Left Behind Act Led to the Color of Law.  https://justaction.substack.com/p/residential-segregation-is-an-educational

THE DEATH GAP: HOW INEQUALITY KILLS
https://davidansellbooks.com/buy-the-book/
"We hear plenty about the widening income gap between the rich and the poor in America and about the expanding distance separating the haves and the have-nots. But when detailing the many things that the poor have not, we often overlook the most critical—their health. The poor die sooner. Blacks die sooner. And poor urban blacks die sooner than almost all other Americans. In nearly four decades as a doctor at hospitals serving some of the poorest communities in Chicago, David Ansell has witnessed firsthand the lives behind these devastating statistics. In The Death Gap, he gives a grim survey of these realities, drawn from observations and stories of his patients." 

THE PRIVILEGED POOR: HOW ELITE COLLEGES ARE FAILING DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS, BY ANTHONY ABRAHAM JACK
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674976894
From the website: "Getting in to college is on half the battle. The Privileged Poor reveals how--and why  disadvantaged students struggle at elite colleges, and explains what schools can do differently if these students are to thrive."  This site has an interview with the author and an extensive list of related links. 

THE STARFISH AND THE SPIDER: THE UNSTOPPABLE POWER OF LEADERLESS ORGANIZATIONS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starfish_and_the_Spider
From the Wikipedia description: "This book is an exploration of the implications of the rise of decentralized organizations such as Grokster and YouTube. The book contrasts them to centralized organizations, such as Encyclopædia Britannica, using compendia of knowledge as examples."

Editor note: I read this book in January 2007 and it really gives definition to the type of work I do with the Tutor/Mentor Connection and with the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program that I led from 1993-2011.  I view a tutoring/mentoring program as a decentralized organization that supports the actions of youth and volunteers, and of hundreds of similar organizations, via this web site, our conferences, and our efforts to help every tutor/mentor program get needed resources on a more consistent basis.

THE SUM OF US - WHAT RACISM COSTS EVERYONE AND HOW WE CAN PROSPER TOGETHER
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564989/the-sum-of-us-by-heather-mcghee/
2021 book by Heather McGhee.  Described on website as "The Sum of Us is a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here: divided and self-destructing, materially rich but spiritually starved and vastly unequal. McGhee marshals economic and sociological research to paint an irrefutable story of racism’s costs, but at the heart of the book are the humble stories of people yearning to be part of a better America, including white supremacy’s collateral victims: white people themselves. With startling empathy, this heartfelt message from a Black woman to a multiracial America leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game."

THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION
https://www.amazon.com/Warmth-Other-Suns-Americas-Migration/dp/0679763880
Description of this book on Amazon.com site: "In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the 1915 to 1970 migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life."

THE WORLD IS OPEN
https://www.amazon.com/World-Open-Technology-Revolutionizing-Education/dp/1118013816
From the web site:  "Technological development and the Internet have opened up learning to the point where anyone can learn anything from anyone else at any time. To help explain this highly complex situation and its implications for education, both formal and informal, Curtis J. Bonk outlines ten key technology and learning trends. Using a model called "WE-ALL-LEARN," Dr. Bonk shows how technology has transformed educational opportunities for learners as well as of innovators from the worlds of technology and education that reveal the power of opening up the world of learning.  This book is the product of more than two decades of research on e-learning, blended learning, and technology in education to support this project (including YouTube, wikis, collaborative technologies, simulations and gaming, and online language learning). "

UNEASY PEACE: BOOK BY PATRICK SHARKEY
https://www.patricksharkey.net/essays
From the website: " Over the past twenty-five years, American cities have transformed. Violence became less common in almost every city across the country, and it plummeted in many of our major urban centers. Sociologist Patrick Sharkey spent five years gathering national data to understand why it happened, and how it has changed the nature of urban inequality.   

Uneasy Peace shows, with rigorous evidence, that the crime decline has fundamentally changed the nature of urban poverty, but the approaches we have taken to confront violence have come with great costs. At a time when crime is beginning to rise again, and the old methods of policing are no longer acceptable, the ideas in this book are indispensable."

URBAN SANCTUARIES: NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS IN THE LIVES AND FUTURES OF INNER CITY YOUTH
https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Sanctuaries-Neighborhood-Organizations-Futures/dp/0787959413
Description from Amazon.com web site: "A comprehensive look at inner-city youth programs. Urban Sanctuaries analyzes the strategies of community leaders and organizations. The author describes how these leaders create and sustain youth programs in spite of enormous challenges."

WE KNOW THE ABCs OF BLACK HISTORY ... DO YOU?:  VOLUM 1
Find on Amazon.com
This book by Maurice Woodson was published in April 2024 and "was created to change the false narrative taught in schools for generations...and that is that the Black American story is just one of oppression. Nothing could be further from the truth."  Read the full description on Amazon.com. 

WHATEVER IT TAKES: GEOFFREY CANADA'S QUEST TO CHANGE HARLEM AND AMERICA, BY PAUL TOUGH
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/book-review
This is a review of the Harlem Children's Zone, written by Paul Tough

WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA: AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Kids-Sitting-Together-Cafeteria/dp/0465083617
Here's description of this book from Amazon.com site "Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious. This fully revised edition is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of race in America."

WHY IT'S GOOD TO BE GOOD - BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING
https://stephengpost.com/
Books and blog articles by Stephen Post show benefits of volunteering and service.

YOU CANT BE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE, BY MILBREY W. MCLAUGHLIN
Search for this book at https://www.amazon.com
This is a book showing impact of CYCLE a  youth program that operated in the Cabrini Green area of Chicago from the mid 1970s until mid 1990s, which is the same area that Daniel Bassill, founder of the Tutor/Mentor Connection began, his involvement in 1973.   "In the book, McLaughlin, the David Jack Professor Emeritus of Education and Public Policy at Stanford University and founding director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, documents what happened to more than seven hundred young people from Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing project who participated in CYCLE, an out-of-school-time tutoring program started in 1978 in the basement of Cabrini-Green's LaSalle Street Church."

Read one review at : https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/off-the-shelf/you-can-t-be-what-you-can-t-see-the-power-of-opportunity-to-change-young-lives