Book excerpt: Many introductory texts claim to make sociology relevant to student interests. Perhaps no other text has done this so completely - and engagingly - as Connecting Sociology to Our Lives. Tim Delaney not only uses popular and contemporary culture examples, he explains sociology thoroughly within the frame of the contemporary culture of students - a culture shaped by political, economic, and environmental trends just as much as by today's pop stars. This book will help academics to engage their students in sociology through the prism of their own culture. It involves students in critical thinking and classroom discussion through the book's many 'What Do You Think?' inserts, and will inspire them to careers with the book's unique chapter, 'Sociology's Place in Society: Completing the Connection'.