Lillian Rubin's work has stood as a model for the integration of the psychological and the sociological in studies of class, male-female relationships and friendships, women and aging, and the sexual revolution. This book presents articles and book excerpts that reflect her revolutionary style and distinct analytic contributions.

Chapter 1 Introduction: From “Worlds of Pain” to a “World of Choice”—Lillian Rubin's Worlds; Part I Asking Like a Therapist, Listening as a Sociologist; Chapter 2 Up from the Immigrant Ghetto; Chapter 3 Integrating Society into Psychology; Chapter 4 Sociological Research: The Subjective Dimension; Part II Discovering Difference, Constantly Class-Conscious; Chapter 5 Family Values and the Invisible Working Class; Chapter 6 Worlds of Pain Revisited: 1972 to 1992; Chapter 7 “Is This a White Country, or What?”; Chapter 8 The Approach-Avoidance Dance: Men, Women, and Intimacy; Part III Studying Sexuality, Addressing Age; Chapter 9 Erotic Wars: What Happened to the Sexual Revolution?; Chapter 10 Blue-Collar Marriage and the Sexual Revolution; Chapter 11 Sex and Sexuality: Women at Midlife; Chapter 12 Getting Younger While Getting Older: Family-Building at Midlife; Chapter 13 Out of the Closet; Part IV Political Perspectives; Chapter 14 Why Don't They Listen to Us?; Chapter 15 What Am I Going to Do with the Rest of My Life?; Chapter 16 Race and Gender in Politics;