The Skin We're In: Teaching Our Teens To Be Emotionally Strong, Socially Smart, and Spiritually Connected

by Janie Victoria Ward

Shepherding children through the demanding years of adolescence can be a struggle for any parent. But black parents must also help their children confront the psychological fallout of racism. With this in mind, Dr. Janie Ward, who spent fifteen years researching the moral and psychological development of African-American boys and girls, offers parents a comprehensive four-step program -- Name it, Read it, Oppose it, Replace it -- that provides strategies for healthy resistance to negative social influences and complacency in children throughout the formative years. Ward offers parents advice on such topics

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2000

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stage of development is hard in itself. The writer helps us understand the importance of growing our children spiritually, emotionally and socially

[Douglas Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ward (education and humanities, Simmons Coll.) explores and codifies how contemporary African American parents prepare their children for healthy, successful adulthood in “a world where race clearly does make a difference.” Approaches that combat negative influences and racial stereotyping are termed “healthy resistance–”a positive, thoughtful model that “fuses knowledge gained from historical analyses and personal reflecskin were intion, a resistance born “from love and purpose, racial pride and connection.” Ward identifies family as the primary incubator and support mechanism for black youth and offers her methodology of “Read It, Name It, Oppose It, Replace It” to tackle racism. Informed by interviews with many African American parents and teens, this book is passionate, purposeful, thoughtful, and clear. Ward often frustrates, however, when she applies universal statements to blacks, e.g., “A black girl can be psychologically strong only when she knows and believes beauty is from the inside, not the outside.” Large public libraries as well as academic or educational collections with an emphasis on African American studies should purchase this book.
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