A well-grounded examination of the stresses faced by American
children today, and some practical solutions to reduce these
stresses. Weissbourd, special adviser on family issues to Vice
President Al Gore, outlines the negative effects of divorce,
parental stress, and relocation on American children. Although the
national debate has focused on children from poor, single-parent
homes, Weissbourd convincingly argues that parental stress "often
more powerfully influences a child's fate than whether there are
two parents in a home or whether a family is poor." Living in a
ghetto does not preclude a healthy home environment. Weissbourd is
intent on shattering other myths as well. Among the nation's
poorest children, there are far more whites than African-Americans.
Severely troubled childhoods do not doom us, the author also notes.
In fact, they often generate effective coping skills that can be
brought into adulthood. And while parents may believe that they
have little influence over their teenagers, studies show that teens
"trust the counsel of their parents more than that of their peers
in making key decisions about the future and that teenagers are
powerfully affected by their parents' values." Weissbourd targets
mobility as a primary cause of stress in young people's lives.
Children who move often lose the constancy needed to thrive. To
reduce the impact of these upheavals, he suggests that cities and
schools help mediate tenant/landlord disputes. Another key is early
identification and treatment of at-risk children, with services
geared to help the entire family. Documenting programs and schools
that have worked, Weissbourd poses viable solutions that have
proven effective with our most vulnerable children. Provocative and
timely, this analysis offers a fresh voice of hope for America's
troubled youth. (Kirkus Reviews)
This revealing investigation shows the devastating impact of
contemporary cultural trends on children. "Important. . .
.Valuable. . . . Weissbourd forcefully contests our disturbing
inclination to localize the problems of children among the poor,
notably African-Americans and inner-city residents. . . . (He)
displays a rare sensitivity to the innumerable large and small
problems that may set a child's downward spiral in motion".--"The
New Republic".
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