The Pecking Order: A Bold New Look at How Family and Society Determine Who We Become (Vintage) - Softcover

"Lucid and provocative. . . . It will make you think twice about how you became what you are." --The Washington Post Book World

"Don't get too attached to tidy assumptions, such as 'firstborns succeed' and 'elite colleges make the difference.' The Pecking Order is bound to shatter them." --Detroit Free Press

"Conley turns conventional wisdom on its head. . . . Astonishing." --The New York Times

"A profound, controversial and blessedly easy-to-read book that ought to be required reading for armchair experts about families--their own families, and others about whom they gossip." --The Oregonian

"Intriguing and provocative." --Howard Gardner, The Boston Globe

"[Conley] offers a revolutionary new theory -- grounded in facts and statistics -- detailing the complexities of both the familial and the societal sorting process." --Booklist

"Families can be tough. Now there's statistical proof." --O Magazine

"Fascinating...The Pecking Order provides a revealing and well-researched insight into modern American society." --Tulsa World

"Authoritative yet lively... [Conley] chooses stories that get complicated, but he does not compromise the nuances of the statistical research. He keeps his prose simple...The Pecking Order brings an important but technical branch of social science to a new readership." --Michael Hout, Contexts

"An interesting and eminently readable combination of overall trends and individual family histories." --The Providence Journal-Bulletin

"From the first page, this book is engaging because you cannot help but think of your own family predicament." --The Seattle Times

"A fun read with a serious intent...Conley satisfies our thirst for knowing the private lives of the rich and famous while also shedding light on the family lives of anonymous Americans." --Stanley Aronowitz, The Nation

"The Pecking Order is not a conventional parenting book, but it stands as a daunting reminder of the significant roles both parents and sibling play in determining a child's success in the world." --National Post (Canada)

"Reveals a much more fascinatingly shaded world than that of those who choose either nature or nurture." -Kirkus Reviews

A study of how American families create and mirror economic inequality reveals how specific factors contribute to the successes and failures of children within a family, citing such contributors as genetics, birth order, family size, divorce, economics, gender, and race. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.