This volume brings together leading experts from different disciplines to offer new perspectives on contemporary African American families. A wealth of knowledge is presented on the heterogeneity of Black family life today; the challenges and opportunities facing parents, children, and communities; and the impact on health and development of key cultural and social processes. Comprehensive and authoritative, the book critically evaluates current policies and service delivery models and offers cogent recommendations for supporting families' strengths. The book is of interest to researchers and students in developmental psychology, family studies, public policy, and sociology; also of interest to educators and clinicians. It may serve as a supplemental text in advanced undergraduate- or graduate-level courses. The book is divided into three major parts and 15 chapters. Part I, Emergent Issues, Themes, and Conceptualizations, contains: (1) Ecological and Cultural Diversity in African American Family Life (Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, and Kenneth A. Dodge); (2) Sociocultural Contexts of African American Families, Nancy E. Hill, Velma McBride Murry, and Valerie D. Anderson); (3) Trends in African American Child Well-Being, 1985-2001 (Vicki L. Lamb, Kenneth C. Land, Sarah O. Meadows, and Fasaha Traylor); (4) Racial Wealth Inequality and the Black Family (William A. Darity, Jr. and Melba J. Nicholson); and (5) New Families, New Functions: Postmodern African American Families in Context (Belinda Tucker and Angela D. James). Part II, African American Families in Community Contexts, then presents: (6) Marital Relationships of African Americans: A Contextual Approach (Chalandra M. Bryant and K. A. S. Wickrama); (7) Work and African American Family Life (Vonnie C. McLoyd and Noemi Enchautegui-de-Jesus); (8) Homeplace and Housing in the Lives of Low-Income Urban African American Families (Linda M. Burton and Sherri Lawson Clark); (9) Religion in African American Family Life (Jacqueline S. Mattis); and (10) A Model of Extended Family Support: Care of the Elderly in African American Families (Peggye Dilworth-Anderson and Paula Y. Goodwin). Part III, Socialization Processes in African American Families, contains: (11) Family Practices and School Performance of African American Children (Oscar A. Barbarin, Terry McCandies, Cheri Coleman, and Nancy E. Hill); (12) The Cultural Context of Physically Disciplining Children (Kenneth A. Dodge, Vonnie C. McLoyd, and Jennifer E. Lansford); (13) African American Families as a Context for Racial Socialization (Stephanie I. Coard and Robert M. Sellers); (14) Beyond the Birth Family: African American Children Reared by Alternative Caregivers (Ellen E. Pinderhughes and Brenda Jones Harden); and (15) Style Matters: Toward a Culturally Relevant Framework for Interventions with African American Families (Howard C. Stevenson, Donna-Marie Winn, Chanequa Walker-Barnes, and Stephanie I. Coard).