The Power of Good Deeds

An intimate participant-observation study of upper-class women in all of their many public roles, complete with revealing interviews. The Power of Good Deeds, a fascinating and powerful book, is sociology at its finest, using good ideas from many different sources and the best methods available to illuminate an important dimension of the class structure that is seldom addressed. -- G William Domhoff, University of California, Santa Cruz
The Power of Good Deeds adds to the understanding of the lives of the upper classes. It is enjoyable reading and would be valuable for students of stratification, elites, or volunteer organizations in general. * Journal of Marriage and Family *
This study extends scholarship on elites in two important ways: first, by shedding light on the upper class of Texas, rarely the geographic site of scholarship on elites, and second, by incorporating in her sample elite women of color. The intersectionof race and social class in elite philanthropic organizations is a poignant and critical feature of this book, and the contradictions are striking.... * American Journal of Sociology *
Sociologist Diana Kendall's unprecedented 'insider' view substantially advances and expands our understanding of today's elite women, including African American and Latina as well as white Anglo women. While not ignoring the contributions of their philanthropic work to the public good, Kendall emphasizes the ways in which the women's everyday activities socially reproduce class and race divisions and inequalities, and shows how elite circles benefit the most from their own philanthropic activities. This revealing and engaging work counters still-echoing claims that class no longer matters in American life. -- Susan Ostrander, Tufts University
This study extends scholarship on elites in two important ways: first, by shedding light on the upper class of Texas, rarely the geographic site of scholarship on elites, and second, by incorporating in her sample elite women of color. The intersection of race and social class in elite philanthropic organizations is a poignant and critical feature of this book, and the contradictions are striking. * American Journal of Sociology *