The works discussed in this article include: Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics, by Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall; Why Americans Hate Politics, by E. J. Dionne, Jr.; A Far Cry from Home: Life in a Shelter for Homeless Women, by Lisa Ferrill; Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics, by Suzanne Garment; Songs from the Alley, by Kathleen Hirsch; Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, by James Davison Hunter; Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, by Jonathan Kozol; Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government, by P. J. O\u27Rourke; Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness, by Peter Rossi; Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, by Luc Sante; The Disuniting of America: Reflections on A Multicultural Society, by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; Louder Than Words, edited by William Shore; and Voices Louder Than Words: A Second Collection, edited by William Shore