Content area
Full Text
Resilience and Development: Positive Life Adaptations. M. D. Glantz, & J. L. Johnson (Eds.). New York: Kluwer Academic, 1999. 303 pp. ISBN 0-306-46123-4. $49.50 (hardcover).
The answer to why one should read this book comes through loud and clear with contributing author Karol Kumpfer's remark:
Resilience is becoming an increasingly popular concept for research and application in the field of prevention. Because of reduced funding for services to help at-risk children and families, information on low cost methods for increasing resilience to negative life events is critically needed. A better understanding of ways to increase resilience in all children holds great promise for improving the effectiveness of preventive community, school, and family services. (p. 179)
Whereas the political and economic winds have long ceased blowing for the poor, the underclass, the less privileged, and the at-risk members of our society, it is incumbent upon researchers and practitioners to explore this great promise and see it to fruition. Both the struggle that this task involves and some potential resolutions are the subject of this book. This volume, which is divided into three parts, codifies the thinking and synthesis of a federally funded resilience conference. Participants included groups such as National Institute of Mental Health and National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
The introductory chapters provide extensive background literature on the concept of resilience including excellent critical assessment of the utility of the constructs, models, and research. This section is rich...