Inequality and Interdependence: Social Problems and Social Justice

Reviewed by Carrie Sillito, Part Time/ Adjunct Professor, Oregon Institute of Technology on 11/18/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book is very comprehensive in discussing social problems. However, there were a few areas I wanted to see more information about. This could be as a separate chapter or as a section in a current chapter.
A few examples:
1) In "Who Belongs: The Social Problem of Family" (Ch 7), there really needs to be a dedicated section on child abuse, elder abuse, and intimate partner violence.
2) The chapter on being unhoused (Ch 6) is good, but the book really needs a chapter/ section/ more information specifically on poverty in addition to (or in conjunction with) this chapter.
3) Whose Lives Matter? Social Movements and Social Justice (Ch 9) is a great way of exploring social movements in conjunction with racism. I also appreciate that the book includes background information stratification (racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, etc) . This is done well in 2.2 (Social Identity). One thing that I felt was missing and not adequately covered here was challenges Indigenous People face and Immigration. It would be nice to have a chapter specifically on racial/ethnic discrimination with discussion about Indigenous Families, Immigrants, Black families, Asian Families (model minority/ COVID discrimination), etc.
4)The book is missing information on crime as a social problem. This could be incorporated into the chapter on addiction or as a separate chapter. Focus on discrimination in the criminal justice system, and differences of sentencing by race/ethnicity as a social justice issue.
5) War is a social problem. It leads to refugees, displacement of people, etc. It should be discussed. But it is not included in the book. I'd like to see a chapter on this.

The nice thing is, even with these missing areas, there are other areas that are covered really well. It's easy to add a lecture or a supplementary reading about some of these missing issues.
The areas I feel were covered very well include:
1) Chapter 8: Who Gets Environmental Justice? The Social Problem of Climate Change - This chapter does an excellent job exploring the social problems of climate change. It really explains how it is both a social problem AND an environmental problem.
2) Chapter 11: Who Gets High? Social Problems Associated with Drug Use - This is an excellent chapter that doesn't stigmatize families and covers the racial inequalities in prosecution.
3) I feel like this book did an excellent job covering the research methods and theories of Sociology. It explained upfront how Sociologists know what they know. This sets up the students for success in better understanding the topics later in the class that might be more complex.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This book is accurate and inclusive of viewpoints and perspectives. I felt like it was error-free and unbiased. We are currently in a time when many social problems have been politicized. But, I feel like this book does an excellent job of presenting the social problems in a nonpolitical way so that students from all political backgrounds can learn from the information without feeling like their ideology is being attacked. The authors did an excellent job of keeping the book unbiased.
I really appreciated that images and charts include a detailed description of the information presented.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This textbook will stay relevant. It's written in a way that it won't be obsolete within a short period of time. I really like how the sections are arranged so you could easily add new sections or make changes within the chapters. I appreciate the up-to-date information was used in charts so they will stay relevant. Sources were often Pew Research or other well-respected data sources.
I really liked that the short videos were included in the text, too, so students can click on the videos to get more information about some topics. I worry about these links changing, but that would be an easy thing to update.

Clarity rating: 5

This book is clearly written in a way that students can understand. It includes images that are related to the text and enhance the information there. It is engaging for students who learn in different ways. This book is excellent for clarity!

Consistency rating: 5

Excellent. The chapters are consistent in using terminology. The chapters follow a similar framework. I like that the learning objectives and summary are included in each chapter. Most chapters explains social theories and research. It stays on topic and is very well organized

Modularity rating: 5

Excellent. It is easy to assign smaller sections of chapters or to assign chapters in a different order. It has headings, subheadings, and is well-organized

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This is a very well-organized book. The sections and chapters flow together well. They make sense as they are presented. But, you could also assign them separately and they would make sense. Each section is organized so it could be read independently or in conjunction with other sections.

Interface rating: 5

Excellent navigation for this textbook. Charts show up well. Nothing seems distracting or confusing.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Excellent. Book contains no errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is done well. Examples are relevant and seem to be culturally sensitive. I do feel like the examples represented a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. It was written in a way that will not be offensive. It takes into account the differences between and among groups.

The Common Cartridge Web Links make this easy to link each chapter within Canvas. That is a huge benefit to help students stay on-track for reading. I would love it if students could purchase a print version of the book, but I can't see where that is available. However, the Print PDF makes it possible that students could print the chapters or their own loose-leaf version of the book if they prefer reading a hard copy. I appreciate that there are options for this!