Rachel and Her Children : Homeless Families in America

"Extraordinarily affecting....A very important book....To read and remember the stories in this book, to take them to heart, is to be called as a witness." THE BOSTON GLOBE There is no safety net for the millions of heartbroken refugees from the American Dream, scattered helplessly in any city you can name. RACHEL AND HER CHILDREN is an unforgettable record for humanity, of the desperate voices of the men, women, and especially children, and their hourly struggle for survival, homeless in America. From the Trade Paperback edition. This Is A Book About Betrayal Of The Young, Who Have No Power To Defend Themselves. It Is Not Intended To Make Readers Comfortable. Visiting Nearly 60 Public Schools, Kozol Finds That Conditions Have Grown Worse For Inner-city Children In The 15 Years Since Federal Courts Began Dismantling The Landmark 1954 Ruling In Brown V. Board Of Education. First, The Segregation Of Black Children Is At A Level Not Seen Since 1968. Few Of These Students Know Any White Children. Second, Discipline Modeled On Methods Traditionally Used In Prisons Is Targeted At Black And Hispanic Children. And Third, Liberal Education In Our Inner-city Schools Has Been Increasingly Replaced By Culturally Barren And Robotic Methods Of Instruction. Kozol Pays Tribute To Those Undefeated Educators Who Persist Against The Odds, And Offers A Humane, Dramatic Challenge To Our Nation To Fulfill At Last The Promise Made Some 50 Years Ago To All Our Youngest Citizens.--from Publisher Description. Dishonoring The Dead -- Hitting Them Hardest When They're Small -- The Ordering Regime -- Preparing Minds For Markets -- The Road To Rome -- A Hardening Of Lines -- Excluding Beauty -- False Promises -- Invitations To Resistance -- A National Horror Hidden In Plain View : Why Not A National Response? -- Deadly Lies -- Treasured Places. Jonathan Kozol. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Since the early 1980s, when the federal courts began dismantling the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, segregation of black children has reverted to its highest level since 1968. In many inner-city schools, a stick-and-carrot method of behavioral control traditionally used in prisons is now used with students. Meanwhile, as high-stakes testing takes on pathological and punitive dimensions, liberal education has been increasingly replaced by culturally barren and robotic methods of instruction that would be rejected out of hand by schools that serve the mainstream of society.Filled with the passionate voices of children, principals, and teachers, and some of the most revered leaders in the black community, The Shame of the Nation pays tribute to those undefeated educators who persist against the odds, but directly challenges the chilling practices now being forced upon our urban systems. In their place, Kozol offers a humane, dramatic challenge to our nation to fulfill at last the promise made some 50 years ago to all our youngest citizens. The author presents the experiences of men, women, and children who are homeless, drawn from months spent with them at homeless shelters, and discusses the causes and societal impact of homelessness