The Road Not Taken

by Michael Reisch, Janice Andrews

The Road Not Taken takes a new perspective on the course of social welfare policy in the twentieth century. This examination looks at the evolution of social work in the United States as a dynamic process not just driven by mainstream organizations and politics, but strongly influenced by the ideas and experiences of radical individuals and marginalized groups as well.

Genres: Social Work, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Social Welfare, Psychology

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Bijan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book during the time I was getting my BSW. It was a way to cope with how bad the field was on social justice when the language was used so commonly in the field. The recent move to the professionalization of field, in the historical context given by the book, is telling of why social work is increasingly becoming a state agent of social control.

[Kymberlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most riveting book I've ever read, but if you're a social worker or a social work student and are appalled (as I am) at how little the field focuses on real social justice, you will find this interesting...maybe even inspiring.

[Kasandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably the most important book any social worker can read. But it’s not just a book for social workers. It is a book for historians, professionals in public health, activists, government employees, and radicals. As far as I can tell it’s the most comprehensive radical history of social work available, and I was often surprised by what I learned. Also very cool is that this book has interviews with older social workers who either witnessed or participated in really important moments in social work history. Reading other reviews, I felt very jealous of folks who had this integrated into their graduate school experience. I feel as though I am learning everything of importance about social work AFTER I got my MSW. And looking back on it, my MSW neither prepared me clinically or intellectually for my role as a professional social worker. I get it that “you learn from the field” but if you only learn from the field then it calls into question whether a university education is even relevant to being a social worker – a question to which the answer was “no” for more time than it has been “yes”, as I learned from this book. Will certainly be looking for more from this author in the future.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this book 3.5 stars. I read it after completing a graduate course on the history of social welfare. It's an academic book, so it can be a bit dry at times and would benefit from providing greater historical and political context for certain periods of social work history. However, it goes into a great deal of detail on the influence of radical social work on New Deal policies and the impact of McCarthyism as an assault on these same policies that effectively served to route out radicalism from all parts of society. I am a social worker and identify with the radical/progressive tradition and reading this book definitely validated some of my beliefs. Overall, it provides a good overview of the topic.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think every social work student should be required to at least skim this text. I believe that social workers need to know not only the history of the profession, but also be exposed to different philosophies and methods of interacting with others and larger systems.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a thorough overview of radical social work in the USA and was thoroughly readable.

[Emily Woods Pendleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lack of chronology throughout - as periods were broken up by subject matter rather than linear time and touched back on past events - made it a bit hard to follow. But the information painted a picture of an incredibly valuable history that goes untaught in higher education, if not blatantly suppressed, as community social work has disappeared from most classrooms, participatory action research isn't discussed as a valid method, and organizing, harm reduction, and mutual aid aren't seen as forms of the work because they lack the need for "professionalization." Instead, students are encouraged to engage in policy matters quietly and politely rather than to forcefully and visibly push back, and the focus is on individual advocacy rather than creating meaningful and lasting social change. When speaking about Radical Social Work, it's also rare to get a complete portrait of what that has looked like or could look like in the United States specifically, with this text being a welcomed outlier. I'm specifically stunned that I hadn't heard of the rich history of unionization by social workers/within social work until this book.

[Caitlin Dolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

radical social work is very interesting me but it was so hard to get through this book! redundant and boring :(

[Karlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a text book so, you know, its only so interesting...