Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780520276765)

Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture follows the path of elementary school-age children involved in competitive dance, youth travel soccer, and scholastic chess.

Why do American children participate in so many adult-run activities outside of the home, especially when family time is so scarce? By analyzing the roots of these competitive afterschool activities and their contemporary effects, Playing to Win contextualizes elementary school-age children's activities, and suggests they have become proving grounds for success in the tournament of life--especially when it comes to coveted admission to elite universities, and beyond.

In offering a behind-the-scenes look at how "Tiger Moms" evolve, Playing to Win introduces concepts like competitive kid capital, the carving up of honor, and pink warrior girls. Perfect for those interested in childhood and family, education, gender, and inequality, Playing to Win details the structures shaping American children's lives as they learn how to play to win.

Author: Hilary Levey Friedman
ISBN-10: 0520276760
ISBN-13: 9780520276765
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 08/03/2013
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 8.95h x 6.07w x 0.75d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/02/2013
Library Journal 10/01/2013