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MEDIA REVIEW
Robert B. Rutherford, Jr., Editor
No Disposable Kids
Larry K. Brendtro, Arlin Ness, and Martin Mitchell Sopris West, Colorado, 2001
At a time when school violence is commonplace and more and more children are being treated as adults in the eyes of the law, we must question whether or not our current practices and interventions in the lives of troubled youths are producing the desired ends. Brendtro, Ness, and Mitchell's text No Disposable KIDS provides readers with an effective tool to begin to answer this question. Not only do they examine the antecedents and consequences of troubled youths' behaviors, but they also analyze the behaviors of the adults and systems that have historically served them. We are asked to consider the potential and strengths of all of our young people.
The book opens with a compelling story about a young man whom many considered "disposable." In each subsequent chapter, we gain more insight into this young man's private logic and behavior. We are exposed to the difficulty the adults in his life experience as they struggle to make sound decisions about appropriate interventions. Each section of the story then sets the stage for the chapter content that follows. In this widely accessible text, Brendtro and his colleagues provide readers with prescriptions and reminders about what challenging young people need to grow into thriving adults.
Several central themes run through the text's five chapters. The importance of involving youths as partners in their own developmental process and engaging them in meaningful ways is paramount in any attempt at intervention. The need for adults to lead by example and the consequences of the failure to do so are brought to the forefront. The...