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On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City Paperback – April 7, 2015

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

A RIVETING, GROUNDBREAKING ACCOUNT OF HOW THE WAR ON CRIME HAS TORN APART INNER-CITY COMMUNITIES

Forty years in, the tough on crime turn in American politics has spurred a prison boom of historic proportions that disproportionately affects Black communities. It has also torn at the lives of those on the outside. As arrest quotas and high tech surveillance criminalize entire blocks, a climate of fear and suspicion pervades daily life, not only for young men entangled in the legal system, but for their family members and working neighbors.

Alice Goffman spent six years in one Philadelphia neighborhood, documenting the routine stops, searches, raids, and beatings that young men navigate as they come of age. In the course of her research, she became roommates with Mike and Chuck, two friends trying to make ends meet between low wage jobs and the drug trade. Like many in the neighborhood, Mike and Chuck were caught up in a cycle of court cases, probation sentences, and low level warrants, with no clear way out. We observe their girlfriends and mothers enduring raids and interrogations, "clean" residents struggling to go to school and work every day as the cops chase down neighbors in the streets, and others eking out a living by providing clean urine, fake documents, and off the books medical care.

This fugitive world is the hidden counterpoint to mass incarceration, the grim underside of our nation's social experiment in punishing Black men and their families. While recognizing the drug trade's damage,
On The Run reveals a justice system gone awry: it is an exemplary work of scholarship highlighting the failures of the War on Crime, and a compassionate chronicle of the families caught in the midst of it.

"A remarkable feat of reporting . . . The level of detail in this book and Goffman's ability to understand her subjects' motivations are astonishing―and riveting."―
The New York Times Book Review

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Extraordinary.” ―Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

“A remarkable feat of reporting…The level of detail in this book and Goffman's ability to understand her subjects' motivations are astonishing--and riveting.” ―
The New York Times Book Review

“Necessary… Goffman's lively prose--communicated in a striking voice rare for an academic--opens a window into a life where paranoia has become routine… She goes beyond her street-level focus to argue something more profound.” ―
Baltimore City Paper

“Alice Goffman's
On the Run is the best treatment I know of the wretched underside of neo-liberal capitalist America. Despite the social misery and fragmented relations, she gives us a subtle analysis and poignant portrait of our fellow citizens who struggle to preserve their sanity and dignity.” ―Cornel West

About the Author

ALICE GOFFMAN grew up in Philadelphia and attended graduate school at Princeton University. She teaches in the sociology department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; Reprint edition (April 7, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250065666
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250065667
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.9 x 5.4 x 8.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's familiarity with the subject matter. The narrative provides a fascinating account of research and thought-provoking material. Readers praise the ethnographic approach as informative and worth reading, with great discussions on ethical, methodological, and epistemological challenges. Overall, it is considered a sociological study of race and the criminal justice system.

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23 customers mention "Readability"20 positive3 negative

Customers find the book engaging and insightful. They appreciate the author's basic familiarity with the subject matter.

"...Add (9-30-18) I did find a good book on this question: Moskos, Peter (2008) Cop: My year policing Baltimore's Eastern District. Princeton Press...." Read more

"...But I found it really informative and worth reading, especially in light of recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, etc.—lots of poor black people..." Read more

"It was an interesting read, but there was definitely some holes in her research." Read more

"...It's a compelling book. The ethical, methodological, and epistemological challenges make for great discussions in class...." Read more

9 customers mention "Narrative quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as an interesting, compelling story that offers a realistic view of young, underprivileged minorities in a neighborhood. The book skillfully blends theory with dramatic, authentic engagement, providing a gritty account of life in West Philadelphia.

"...As a criminal justice major, it was so informative and such a great story...." Read more

"Outstanding ethnography that combines theory skillfully blended with dramatic, authentic engagement...." Read more

"This book is interesting and thought provoking. I work in the field, and this book made me realize things that never occurred to me...." Read more

"...But I found it really informative and worth reading, especially in light of recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, etc.—lots of poor black people..." Read more

8 customers mention "Ethnography"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They appreciate the author's research approach, which is clear, precise, and objective. The sociological study of race and the criminal justice system is well-received.

"...I am no expert, but I think this will be a classic ethnography in American anthropology and sociology...." Read more

"Outstanding ethnography that combines theory skillfully blended with dramatic, authentic engagement...." Read more

"This is a work of ethnography, whose author, a middle-class white student, spent years living in a poor black neighbourhood in an attempt to..." Read more

"...Well, this book answers that question in full. I found the author's language clear, precise, objective, and completely illuminating...." Read more

Controversial but Important Research
4 out of 5 stars
Controversial but Important Research
Goffman, A. (2014). On the run: Fugitive life in an American city. Picador.Alice Goffman is an American sociologist, urban ethnographer, and author. She was assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison until she was denied tenure in 2019.When the daughter of Erving Goffman, one of my favorite thinkers writes a book, I want to read it. Goffman's research began during her second year as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania. This book describes the lived experiences of families and young Black men in Philadelphia specifically related to over-policing, poverty, and incarceration. Her research found: "The heavy police presence and the looming threat of incarceration. . . [tears] at the fabric of everyday life, sowing fear and suspicion into the networks of family and friends that have long sustained poor Black communities. Under the threat of prison, a new and more paranoid social fabric is emerging - one built on the expectation that loved ones may become wanted by the police or may inform on one another to save their own skin. It is woven in subterfuge and trickery; in moves and countermoves; in the paranoiac practices of secrecy, elusion, misinformation, and unpredictability." Instead of helping the community, policing and interactions with law enforcement contributed to collective trauma and creation of an associated worldview enacted daily within the community.Goffman's research is controversial although she won awards for her research and the book. Subsequently, charges levied against Goffman's research included embellishment, exaggeration, false statements, and even potentially felonious conduct. Ethical concerns were raised about research protocols used in the conduct of the ethnographic study including participant protection, informed consent and the candor with which particular narratives were detailed. Some questioned Goffman's white bias and positionality.Although not specifically mentioned within the text, her story illustrates the dual challenge of perceived illegitimacy and felt experiences described in legal estrangement theory as illustrative of the lived experiences of Blacks in America. She captured the associated worldview governing people's perceptions and actions in a context characterized by over-policing, poverty, and repeated incarceration. This book would be valuable for those interested in reading about Black experience, legal estrangement, and worldview. It would also be a good case from which to explore qualitative research design and ethics.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2018
    I really was awed by this book (and am puzzled by what one reviewer (below) has written). Goffman herself came from a privileged and educated background and chose to live for six years (on and off, but I think mostly on) in a poor, black, run-down, and drug-infested area in Philadelphia. One of her main interests was the interaction of police and dropout males from this district. How do children grow in unsafe environments? What happens when there is so much policing brought into the lives of young people? She also contrasts kids who grow up dirty and who grow up clean. She talks about the repetitive violence from drugs and guns (and fists or baseball bats or bricks into car windows), the ties that bind these families together (or forces that stress them apart), the lives of the genders, motherhood, girlfriend-hood, and problems of being a short, pretty white girl in an entirely black area.

    I am no expert, but I think this will be a classic ethnography in American anthropology and sociology.

    There are some things that Goffman does not talk about, but these were beyond the charge of her research. Specifically, while the presence of police brutality is documented, I was left curious about how the young police officers were inculcated into this blue culture. What holds their "blue family" together? What do police officers do with their fear (other than try to "take control")? At what point of induction into being a police officer does fear and stereotypy become the motif of life?

    Add (9-30-18) I did find a good book on this question: Moskos, Peter (2008) Cop: My year policing Baltimore's Eastern District. Princeton Press. Available on Amazon. Moskos graduated from college and joined the Baltimore police force as a rookie. He is scathing about his six-month training, which taught him nothing outside of legal strictures and how to write reports. One of his observations is how police cars detract from getting to know a neighborhood, but all police hate foot patrolling (it is hard, no computers, no flashing lights, seen as a punishment) and thus police really do not know the people of the area. The final chapter is "Prohibition: Al Capone's revenge," a comment on how prohibition actually makes the border between police and the people far more difficult than would legalized drugs and medical care.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2022
    Bought this book after watching her Ted Talk. As a criminal justice major, it was so informative and such a great story. Definitely showed how it is for African Americans to live not only on the run from cops, but in America. 10/10 would recommend. Definitely one of my top favorite books!
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2020
    Outstanding ethnography that combines theory skillfully blended with dramatic, authentic engagement. Provides an excellent picture of how cascading system effects trap poor black youth in a neighborhood but outside the identity systems that are required for viable lifestyles. Poor neighborhoods don’t have tax bases so they rely on fines, which apply to minor incidents. Youth especially targeted. They can’t pay fines so get bench warrants, unnecessary jail time, and are thereafter flagged, leading to no permanent residences, marginal income, and police persecution.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2015
    This book is interesting and thought provoking. I work in the field, and this book made me realize things that never occurred to me. It is obviously not all encompassing but she did good work here.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
    This is a work of ethnography, whose author, a middle-class white student, spent years living in a poor black neighbourhood in an attempt to understand what life was like for people in a very different world. It's generated a lot of controversy, including accusations of focusing too much on the criminal elements and treating the community as a source of dramatic entertainment for outsiders, or something along those lines.

    But I found it really informative and worth reading, especially in light of recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, etc.—lots of poor black people are getting killed by the police for no good reason, and the police are getting away with it. I didn't know nearly enough about the interactions of the criminal justice system with poor black communities, so I feel like I learned a lot from this book. There's mention of how young children get entangled in the criminal justice system, like one boy who's maybe 11 and is riding in a car with his older brother; it turns out the car is stolen, so the 11-year-old is treated as an accomplice to a crime and the process begins. There's also discussion of how police threaten and intimidate women to make them inform on their sons, brothers, or boyfriends: in poor neighbourhoods, where living conditions aren't always great, it's easy to say that their homes are unacceptable and threaten to take away their children, or just arrest the women themselves for various secondary crimes like obstructing justice etc. There are plenty of violent police raids. The pressure to inform creates an atmosphere of distrust and rips apart the social fabric; men who are wanted by the police have to make a habit of being unpredictable, not letting anyone know where they'll be at a given time, and so on. I also had no idea just how many types of warrants there are for various offenses: besides actually committing crimes, people are often wanted for things like not paying court fees. And men who often have multiple warrants out for their arrest can't take advantage of basic services like medical care; showing up at the hospital when they've suffered a serious injury or their partner is about to give birth can result in arrest, so it's often too risky.

    So there's lots of thought-provoking material here, and I feel like I learned a lot about a world that was completely unfamiliar to me. My only complaint is the organization of the book in thematic sections; the lack of a continuous narrative made it easy to set the book down, so I didn't read it straight through, and I often found myself wanting to read more about Alice herself and her place in this world. But there's a lengthy afterword where she does talk more about her own experiences, which was also really interesting. She had taken her project so far that she avoided any media that her friends in the neighbourhood weren't also reading or watching, with the result that she had trouble interacting with people in graduate school after missing out on years of typical undergrad experiences. She had developed a fear of young-ish white men with short hair—i.e., people who could potentially be police officers—which made it difficult to interact with some of her professors. Etc.

    I'm glad I read this one.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2016
    It was an interesting read, but there was definitely some holes in her research.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Joseph Myren
    5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME
    Reviewed in Canada on September 25, 2023
    AWESOME
  • Libcal
    4.0 out of 5 stars 失われたエスノグラフィーを蘇らせる
    Reviewed in Japan on July 16, 2017
    あのアーヴィング・ゴフマンの娘、アリス・ゴフマンによるエスノグラフィー
    アメリカの刑事司法(Criminal Justice)、人種差別、そしてエスノグラフィーについて興味があれば、これは必読です

    ゴフマンは社会学者だが、文章の構成は非常に読みやすい(新聞記事を読んでいる感覚)ので、すらすら読めます
    追記:議論を包括的に理解されたいのであれば、この本の批判も把握するとよいと思います。「事実かどうか分からない!」みたいな適当な批判ではなく、ゴフマンは果たしてしっかりと研究者としてのアイデンティティー(かつ白人女性である事)が調査結果に影響を与えたか与えてないかを考えたかどうか(reflexivityの概念にあたります)、などについてです。
  • Niseach
    5.0 out of 5 stars I would like to have read more about the methodology in terms ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2016
    This is exceptionally well written and provides a fascinating insight into life in Philadelphia's '6th Street' area. In terms of ethnographic studies, it is up there with Waquant's 'Body and Soul' in portraying the realities of life on the American streets. I would like to have read more about the methodology in terms of how she entered, lived in and left the field herself, and particularly how she came to be accepted as a white, middle-class and educated female in the field she describes. I will try and locate her thesis to find out further details about this. My one disappointment is that there is not enough of her own reflexivityin the book. It would be fantastic to hear how the inquiry impacted upon her ethnographic self as so many parts of the book could detail and capture her own emotions, beliefs and actions. The likes of Harry Wolcott do this extremely well.
  • fff
    5.0 out of 5 stars good read
    Reviewed in Germany on September 1, 2015
    Good read. Helped me a lot with my research on mass incarceration in the United States of America. I'll recommend it to my friends-.
  • kenady
    5.0 out of 5 stars SUCH AN AMAZING READ
    Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2019
    I’ve recommended this book to anyone that I can, so amazing