My initial reaction to Robert Brym's Sociology as a Matter of Life and Death was a sense of uncertainty. When I started reading the book I wasn't sure what to expect, whether the book would be boring and vague, or whether it would be informative and intriguing. Brym jumps straight to the underlying existence of death and how “death has become a source of anxiety. ” I refer to the introduction of the novel, feeling that there are two ways I can live my life and wondering which of the two would result in a so-called “better life”. In the first detailed chapter Brym concludes that hip-hop culture encourages deviant behavior in society. I neither agree nor disagree with this idea because a behavior is not defined solely by the music you listen to. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The second main chapter explains the techniques of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I was not particularly intrigued by this chapter, I do not agree with the constant battle between groups because one must take revenge on the other, this is not true, other options were available. Continuing, Brym focuses on the consequences on the least valued members of society when there is a lack of planning for natural disasters. This is difficult because it is not fair for people to suffer due to a lack of safety planning in their neighborhood. This fourth important chapter details the risk of cancer, however, ensures that we can prevent it by eliminating carcinogens. I very much agree with this because people can get lung cancer from smoking but they have the power to not smoke. The sixth chapter focuses on the risks women face because of their gender. This chapter will stay with me forever because of the uncertainty women face about what will happen during daily activities. The last important chapter concerns the indigenous genocide that occurred. This hurts me because of my ethnicity and it hurts me to read about the conditions these students faced. Brym uses these chapters to define the underlying issue of sociology as a matter of life and death, in each chapter we understand why sociology can involve life or death moments for some people and depending on the actions they have chosen. Of course, no one can ever know what will happen because of their actions. With these chapters we learn the importance of having a good quality of life, thus keeping life expectancy increasing.