American Generosity
Who Gives and Why
Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price
Reviews and Awards
"Herzog and Price marshal a wide range of data-including both hard numbers and personal stories-to examine the factors that explain generous behavior. They show that generosity isn't just based on what you're able to give. It's based on who you are, how you think, and with whom you are in relationship. This will become a standard reference for understanding patterns of philanthropic behavior." -Brian Steensland, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University-Indianapolis
"American Generosity provides an engaging investigation into who gives and why. Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price deftly combine analyses of survey data with in-depth interviews to produce a comprehensive picture of the diversity of American giving today. Detailed case studies provide real world anchors to statistics - creating a page-turner. With relevance to individual givers, educators, and nonprofit professionals, the book is a must read for anyone interested in generosity and giving in American life." -Pamela Paxton, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and Christine and Stanley E. Adams, Jr. Centennial Professor in the Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
"American Generosity is a thoughtfully crafted project that offers significant contributions to the growing body of scholarship on the subject of financial giving. This study is the first of which I am aware to examine the contours and antecedents of generosity using such rich data sources, ranging from surveys to qualitative interviews and ethnographic research. Given the triangulation of these various methods and data sources along with the employment of a sound and eclectic theoretical approach, the volume offers a holistic examination of the subject." -John P. Bartkowski, Associate Editor of the Scientific Study of Religion
"In American Generosity, sociologists Patricia Herzog and Heather Price provide comprehensive, detailed, and realistic portraits of generosity among American adults...American Generosity is an academically sound and highly accessible book. Practitioners, general readers, as well as scholars will find it rewarding."--Sociology of Religion