This lively interdisciplinary book on 'complex households' in six U.S. ethnic groups uniquely combines rich ethnographic description conveying the 'sights and smells' of fieldwork with theory-linked overviews and Census 2000 data. It explores interactions of household structure, ethnicity and gender, also illuminating factors affecting formation and dissolution of complex households, which are increasingly important as family and ethnic diversity - and immigration - grow. It's valuable for student and professional sociologists, anthropologists, demographers, research methodologists, policymakers and interested public.