Joel Best
Joel Gordon Best | |
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Joel Gordon Best is an American sociologist and criminologist. He is a Professor Emeritus and a Francis Alison award winner in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He specialized in social problems and deviance. His most recent research focused on social problems theory.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and psychology in 1967, before studying sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, from which he earned a Master of Arts (MA) in 1968 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1971. In 1979, he earned an MA in United States history from the University of Minnesota.
He taught at Concordia College (1969–70), California State University, Fresno (1970–91), Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1991–99), and the University of Delaware (1999–2023).
He served as a President of the Midwest Sociological Society (1999–2000) and the Society for the Study of Social Problems (2001–02), and was an editor of the journal Social Problems. When asked about his prolific output, Best responded, “If you write a page per day, or every few days, you will have a book by the end of the year.”
He is best known for his research on Halloween sadism (the belief that people distribute contaminated treats to trick-or-treaters). Having studied press coverage since 1958, Best has been unable to locate any evidence that any child has been killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat picked up during trick-or-treating.
Books
As author
- Best, Joel; Luckenbill, David F. (1982). Organizing Deviance. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-641605-0.
- Best, Joel; Best, Eric (2014). The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created a Trillion-Dollar Problem. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520287525.
- Best, Joel; Bogle, Kathleen A. (2014). Kids Gone Wild From Rainbow Parties to Sexting, Understanding the Hype Over Teen Sex. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-6073-4.
- Winner Brian McConnell Book Award, International Society for Contemporary Legend Research
- Best, Joel (1998). Controlling Vice: Regulating Brothel Prostitution in St. Paul, 1865-1883. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8142-5007-5.
- Best, Joel (2012). Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27470-9.
- Best, Joel (2004). More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-93002-5.
- Best, Joel (2004). Deviance: Career of a Concept. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-534-57001-9.
- Best, Joel (2011). Everyone's a Winner: Life in Our Congratulatory Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26716-9.
- Best, Joel (2006). Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24626-3.
- Best, Joel (2021). Is that True? Critical Thinking for Sociologists. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-38141-4.
- Best, Joel (2025). Just the Facts: Untangling Contradictory Claims (1 ed.). Oaklands, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-52042132-5. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- Best, Joel (1999). Random Violence: How We Talk about New Crimes and New Victims. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21571-9.
- Best, Joel (2007). Social problems (1st ed.). New York London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39392877-8.
- Best, Joel (2013). Social problems (2nd ed.). New York London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39391863-2.
- Best, Joel (2017). Social Problems (3rd ed.). New York London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39328341-9.
- Best, Joel (2020). Social Problems (4th ed.). New York London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39353304-0.
- Best, Joel; Monahan, Brian (2025). Social Problems (5th ed.). New York London: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-1-324-08587-4.
- Best, Joel (2013). Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27998-8.
- Best, Joel (2011). The Stupidity Epidemic: Worrying about Students, Schools, and America's Future. Framing 21st century social issues. New York London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-89209-4.
- Best, Joel (1990). Threatened Children: Rhetoric and Concern about Child-Victims. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-04425-5.
- Winner, Charles Horton Cooley Award, Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, 1991
As editor
- Best, Joel; Richardson, James T.; Bromley, David G., eds. (1991). The Satanism Scare. Somerset: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-0-202-30378-9.
- Best, Joel, ed. (1994). Troubling Children: Studies of Children and Social Problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30491-5.
- Best, Joel, ed. (2001). How Claims Spread: Cross-National Diffusion of Social Problems. Social problems and social issues. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30653-7.
- Best, Joel (1989). Images of Issues: Typifying Contemporary Social Problems (1 ed.). Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 0-202-30352-7.
- Best, Joel, ed. (1989). Images of Issues: Typifying Contemporary Social Problems. Social problems and social issues (2nd ed.). New York: A. De Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30538-7.
- Best, Joel; Harris, Scott R., eds. (2013). Making Sense of Social Problems: New Images, New Issues. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58826-855-6.
References
- ↑ "Statistics Researcher/Sociologist to Present Convocation: Joel Best". Carleton.edu. Carleton College. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Authors: Joel Best". University of Chicago Press. University of Chicago. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Past Officers of the Midwest Sociological Society" (PDF). themss.org. The Midwest Sociological Society (MSS). Retrieved October 11, 2026.
- ↑ "SSSP: Past Presidents, Vice Presidents and Editors". Society for the Study of Social Problems. Society for the Study of Social Problems.
- ↑ Szetela, Adam (September 27, 2017). "How to write (and publish) like a pro". Times Higher Education (THE). Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ↑ Best, Joel. "Halloween Sadism:The Evidence". UD Libraries, Museums and Press. Departmemt of Sociology & Criminal Justice. The University of Delaware. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Burn, OlgaS. (January 1982). "Organizing deviance". Journal of Criminal Justice. 10 (3): 251–252. doi:10.1016/0047-2352(82)90046-0.
- ↑ Chapman, Bruce (June 2018). "The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created a Trillion-Dollar Problem, by JoelBest and EricBest (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 2014), pp. 248". Economic Record. 94 (305): 204–206. doi:10.1111/1475-4932.12404. ISSN 0013-0249.
- ↑ Piperides, Kyra (May 3, 2016). "Kids gone wild: from rainbow parties to sexting, understanding the hype over teen sex". Journal of Gender Studies. 25 (3): 352–354. doi:10.1080/09589236.2016.1171942. ISSN 0958-9236.
- ↑ "The Brian McConnell Book Award". ISCLR: International Society for Contemporary Legend Research. International Society for Contemporary Legend Research. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Lemons, Shelly L. (2001). "Controlling Vice: Regulating Brothel Prostitution in St. Paul, 1865-1883". The Michigan Historical Review. 27 (2): 177. doi:10.2307/20173932. JSTOR 20173932.
- ↑ Schall, Matthew (2002). "Review of Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists". The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy. 72 (3): 377–379. doi:10.1086/lq.72.3.40039764. ISSN 0024-2519. JSTOR 40039764.
- ↑ Anderson-Cook, Christine M. (2005). "Review of More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues; Chance: A Guide to Gambling, Love, the Stock Market, & Just about Everything Else". The American Statistician. 59 (3): 274–275. ISSN 0003-1305. JSTOR 27643679.
- ↑ Best, Joel (2004). Deviance: Career of a Concept. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. ISBN 978-0-534-57001-9.
- ↑ Brueggemann, John (March 2012). "Everyone's a Winner: Life in Our Congratulatory Culture". Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews. 41 (2): 181–182. doi:10.1177/0094306112438190f. ISSN 0094-3061.
- ↑ Grazian, D. (June 1, 2007). "Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads By Joel Best University of California Press, 2006. 201 pages". Social Forces. 85 (4): 1823–1825. doi:10.1353/sof.2007.0069. ISSN 0037-7732.
- ↑ Moody, James (2022). "Review of Is That True? Critical Thinking for Sociologists". Contemporary Sociology. 51 (6): 461–463. doi:10.1177/00943061221129662d. ISSN 0094-3061. JSTOR 27235424.
- ↑ Best, Joel (2025). Just the Facts: Untangling Contradictory Claims (1 ed.). Oaklands, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-52042132-5. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, John M. (2000). "Book Review". Symbolic Interaction. 23 (1): 83–85. doi:10.1525/si.2000.23.1.83. ISSN 1533-8665.
- ↑ Best, Joel (2007). Social problems (1st ed.). New York London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-39392877-8.
- ↑ Swingle, Joe (July 2009). "Review of Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data by Joel Best". Numeracy. 2 (2). doi:10.5038/1936-4660.2.2.7.
- ↑ "The Stupidity Epidemic: Worrying about Students, Schools, and America's Future". Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews. 40 (6): 772. November 2011. doi:10.1177/0094306111425021c. ISSN 0094-3061.
- ↑ Shupe, Anson; Best, Joel (1992). "Threatened Children: Rhetoric and Concern about Child-Victims". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 31 (2): 243. doi:10.2307/1387024. JSTOR 1387024.
- ↑ "Past Awards: Charles Horton Cooley Book Award". Awards: Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ McCallion, Michael (1992). "The Satanism Scare or the Antisatanism Scare". Symbolic Interaction. 15 (2): 237–240. doi:10.1525/si.1992.15.2.237. ISSN 1533-8665.
- ↑ Best, Joel, ed. (1994). Troubling Children: Studies of Children and Social Problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30491-5.
- ↑ Best, Joel, ed. (2001). How Claims Spread: Cross-National Diffusion of Social Problems. Social problems and social issues. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30653-7.
- ↑ Best, Joel (1989). Images of Issues: Typifying Contemporary Social Problems (1 ed.). Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 0-202-30352-7.
- ↑ Walters, Kyla (April 2015). "Book Review: Making Sense of Social Problems: New Images, New Issues". Teaching Sociology. 43 (2): 163–164. doi:10.1177/0092055X15573499. ISSN 0092-055X.
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