The Color of Strangers, the Color of Friends

by Alan Peshkin

Peshkin examines the role played by ethnicity in the daily life of a town he calls "Riverview" and its only high school. Immersing himself in the daily life of halls and classrooms of Riverview's high school and the streets of its neighborhoods, Peshkin coaxes from both young and old their own reflections on the town's early days, on the period of ethnic strife sparked by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and on the way they see Riverview today.

"Peshkin strikes a hopeful chord, revealing what social encounters among ethnic groups—at their best—can be like in America."— Education Digest

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 11, 1991

Reviews

[Colleen]

I went to RHS and was a student at the time this study was completed. It’s very interesting to read this again, so many years later, and think about the conclusions made in this book.

For example, Peshkin comments about the small percentage of students who were on the college track and eventually finished college - but is that the gold standard and how are those people doing now? Knowing now that a college education does not always guarantee a prosperous career, such a judgement or point of view promoting college seems to shortchange other career choices and the stability and income that could come from them.