Following the success of its best-selling predecessors, the Fourth Edition of Black Families retains several now classic contributions while including updated versions of earlier chapters and many entirely new chapters. Editor Harriette Pipes McAdoo has once again compiled the most complete assessment of Black families available in both depth and breadth of coverage. Key Features: Includes new and updated material: The superseding goal for each revision of this core text has been to focus on positive dimensions of African American families. Most authors have updated their chapters, and this Fourth Edition also includes new chapters on topics such as religious dimensions, the role of funerals in Black communities, breast cancer prevention, and much more. Offers cross-disciplinary coverage: The book boasts contributions from such fields as family studies, anthropology, education, psychology, social work, and public policy. Chapters are grouped into seven parts covering history, theoretical conceptions, religion, family patterns, socialization, gender relations, and public policy. Numerous references guide readers to more in-depth discussion of specific topics. Provides respected authorship: Authorship includes such leaders and esteemed elders as John Hope Franklin, William Pipes, Wade Nobles, John Ogbu, Marie Peters, Marian Wright Edelman, and Robert Staples, among others. In addition, the Fourth Edition features new chapters by Maulana Karenga and Tiamoyo Karenga, Darlene Clark Hine, Pamela Martin, LaTrese Adkins, Karen Williams, and Monica Mouton Sanders. Book jacket.