In a fervent appeal for clearer thinking on social issues, Christopher Jencks re-examines the way American think about race, poverty, crime, heredity, welfare, and the underclass. Arguing that neither liberal nor conservative ideas about these issues withstand close scrutiny, he calls for less emphasis on political principles and more attention to specific programs. His intention throughout is to force us (readers and policymakers) to look at the way various remedial plans actually succeed or fail and to think about social policy more concretely.