Books by "J. Phillip Thompson"
8 books found
This work offers a political and historical analysis of Newark's modern politics since 1950, culminating with Mayor Cory Booker's rise to power and prominence both in the city and in American political consciousness. Newark's recent political history offers an interesting case study in mayoral elections, community development, and coalition building politics. While Newark is the quintessential post-industrial city, Booker has received critical attention for his post-racial politics since he frequently bypasses racial and traditional urban politics. At the same time, relations between the mayor, the municipal council, and Newark's diverse communities were often so fractious that sustainable coalition building proved to be an elusive goal to resolve longstanding crime, education, and other social problems. Based on original interviews with Cory Booker, city council members, and other prominent Newark politicians, A Post Racial Change is Gonna Come is a powerful history of how Newark became the focal point for transformative politics in urban America.
A local detective moves to the suburban police force to get away from the brutal crime scene seen by him as a Philadelphia homicide detective. Shortly after his arrival, there are a series of seemingly unrelated murders in the quiet middle-class township. Unbeknownst to the detective, there is a serial murderer afoot, who is both clever and brutal in his attacks. Four murders go unsolved followed by the death of an earlier victim who survived the attack initially. As the detective believes he is closing in, he is badly injured when a truck, laying in wait for him, crashed into his car on his way home from work. A clever scheme by the detective and local law enforcement to catch the murderer in a trap backfires.
Washington 101 offers a layman's introduction to the richness and diversity of the nation's capital. An exploration of the history, politics, architecture, and people of the city and region, Washington 101 is a must-read for anyone curious to learn more about Washington.
Community Lost
by Ronald J. Angel, Holly Bell, Julie Beausoleil, Laura Lein
2012 · Cambridge University Press
Neither government programs nor massive charitable efforts responded adequately to the human crisis that was Hurricane Katrina. In this study, the authors use extensive interviews with Katrina evacuees and reports from service providers to identify what helped or hindered the reestablishment of the lives of hurricane survivors who relocated to Austin, Texas. Drawing on social capital and social network theory, the authors assess the complementary, and often conflicting, roles of FEMA, other governmental agencies and a range of non-governmental organizations in addressing survivors' short- and longer-term needs. While these organizations came together to assist with immediate emergency needs, even collectively they could not deal with survivors' long-term needs for employment, affordable housing and personal records necessary to rebuild lives. Community Lost provides empirical evidence that civil society organizations cannot substitute for an efficient and benevolent state, which is necessary for society to function.