Publishing information:
Marc A. Musick and John Wilson
Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, Feb 2008. 680pp. Cloth. ISBN 978-0-253-34929-3. $39.95
This comprehensive book is described as “an eye-opening portrait of the volunteer in contemporary society”. At nearly 700 pages in length, it is certainly an exhaustive portrait that seeks to meet the information and reflective needs of both practitioners and scholars. Musick and Wilson review the known research on volunteering and present the findings of their own investigations. The authors offer new insights into volunteer motivation, the social context of volunteering, historical trends and cross-national differences in volunteering. The final section reflects on the relationship between volunteering, citizenship and pro-social behaviour. The book concludes with over 50 pages of references, which makes it a particularly useful addition to any researcher’s bookshelf.
