The Undersides of Society

This collection of essays, which displays the author at work in a variety of settings, includes one piece that originally appeared in Dissent (“The Village Beat Scene: Summer 1960”), some scholarly papers, and various other material. Polsky manages to be extremely readable, and several pervading themes help tie together what might otherwise have been a series of disconnected essays.

Polsky is a scholar who cares, who thinks clearly and writes well. His book reflect...