The State of Families: Law, Policy, and the Meanings of Relationships collects essential readings on the family to examine the multiple forms of contemporary families, the many issues facing families, the policies that regulate families, and how families-and family life-have become politicized. The State of Families?is an exemplary reader I highly recommend for any introductory course on the family. This collection covers a diverse range of family forms and features new and classic works that address social issues of citizenship, gender and race. Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, Professor of Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Southern California? The collection offers brief, lively essays which shed light on crucial aspects of family life. It is an excellent resource for teaching. Highly recommended! Annette Lareau, Author, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life.