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Coming of Age in the Other America
Recent research on inequality and poverty has shown that those born into low-income families, especially African Americans, still have difficulty entering the middle class, in part because of the disadvantages they experience living in more dangerous neighborhoods, going to inferior public schools, and persistent racial inequality. Coming of Age in the Other America shows that despite overwhelming odds, some disadvantaged urban youth do achieve upward mobility. Drawing from ten years of fieldwork with parents and children who resided in Baltimore public housing, sociologists Stefanie DeLuca, Susan Clampet-Lundquist, and Kathryn Edin highlight the remarkable resiliency of some of the youth who hailed from the nation’s poorest neighborhoods and show how the right public policies might help break the cycle of disadvantage.
Coming of Age in the Other America illuminates the profound effects of neighborhoods on impoverished families. The authors conducted in-depth interviews and fieldwork with 150 young adults, and found that those who had been able to move to better neighborhoods—either as part of the Moving to Opportunity program or by other means—achieved much higher rates of high school completion and college enrollment than their parents. About half the youth surveyed reported being motivated by an “identity project”—or a strong passion such as music, art, or a dream job—to finish school and build a career.
Yet the authors also found troubling evidence that some of the most promising young adults often fell short of their goals and remained mired in poverty. Factors such as neighborhood violence and family trauma put these youth on expedited paths to adulthood, forcing them to shorten or end their schooling and find jobs much earlier than their middle-class counterparts. Weak labor markets and subpar postsecondary educational institutions, including exploitative for-profit trade schools and under-funded community colleges, saddle some young adults with debt and trap them in low-wage jobs. A third of the youth surveyed—particularly those who had not developed identity projects—were neither employed nor in school. To address these barriers to success, the authors recommend initiatives that help transform poor neighborhoods and provide institutional support for the identity projects that motivate youth to stay in school. They propose increased regulation of for-profit schools and increased college resources for low-income high school students.
Coming of Age in the Other America presents a sensitive, nuanced account of how a generation of ambitious but underprivileged young Baltimoreans has struggled to succeed. It both challenges long-held myths about inner-city youth and shows how the process of “social reproduction”—where children end up stuck in the same place as their parents—is far from inevitable.
Stefanie DeLuca is associate professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University.
Susan Clampet-Lundquist is associate professor of sociology at Saint Joseph’s University.
Kathryn Edin is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University.
Coming of Age in the Other America illuminates the profound effects of neighborhoods on impoverished families. The authors conducted in-depth interviews and fieldwork with 150 young adults, and found that those who had been able to move to better neighborhoods—either as part of the Moving to Opportunity program or by other means—achieved much higher rates of high school completion and college enrollment than their parents. About half the youth surveyed reported being motivated by an “identity project”—or a strong passion such as music, art, or a dream job—to finish school and build a career.
Yet the authors also found troubling evidence that some of the most promising young adults often fell short of their goals and remained mired in poverty. Factors such as neighborhood violence and family trauma put these youth on expedited paths to adulthood, forcing them to shorten or end their schooling and find jobs much earlier than their middle-class counterparts. Weak labor markets and subpar postsecondary educational institutions, including exploitative for-profit trade schools and under-funded community colleges, saddle some young adults with debt and trap them in low-wage jobs. A third of the youth surveyed—particularly those who had not developed identity projects—were neither employed nor in school. To address these barriers to success, the authors recommend initiatives that help transform poor neighborhoods and provide institutional support for the identity projects that motivate youth to stay in school. They propose increased regulation of for-profit schools and increased college resources for low-income high school students.
Coming of Age in the Other America presents a sensitive, nuanced account of how a generation of ambitious but underprivileged young Baltimoreans has struggled to succeed. It both challenges long-held myths about inner-city youth and shows how the process of “social reproduction”—where children end up stuck in the same place as their parents—is far from inevitable.
Stefanie DeLuca is associate professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University.
Susan Clampet-Lundquist is associate professor of sociology at Saint Joseph’s University.
Kathryn Edin is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University.
- GenresSociologyNonfiction
296 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2016
14 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 21, 2017
It has become an article of faith among many that inner-city youth (read: black youth) in cities like Baltimore are unmotivated, shiftless, and dangerous. In "Coming of Age," Stefanie DeLuca, Susan Clampet-Lundquist and Kathryn Edin (hereinafter "DCE") demolish that stereotype by relating the experiences and perspectives of Baltimore youth who were the subject of intensive interviews and case histories in 2010 and 2012.
The most important takeaway from DCE's work is that these impoverished young people already have many of the values that their middle-class and upper-class counterparts have: a desire to make money legitimately, a willingness to work hard, a desire to improve their skills through education, and aspirations of having a real career. Less than 20% of the youth surveyed ever engaged in serious delinquency, and only about 13% were "in the street" for a lengthy period of time. The youth were three times as likely to graduate high school as their parents, and four times as likely to attempt some sort of post-secondary education. In fact, half of the youth had entered college or a trade school at some point.
The problems these young people face, however, are legion. They must deal with bad schools, impoverished neighborhoods (DCE find that prolonged exposure to very poor neighborhoods is a very good predictor of which kids will end up "in the street"), dead-end jobs that fail to pay a living wage, and for-profit trade schools which overpromise and underdeliver on career credentials while saddling their students with significant amounts of debt. The youth lack critical social connections that could help them obtain better information about educational options and find better jobs (connections that many middle-class Americans take for granted). Over time, even the brightest and most promising young people end up "downshifting" their goals because of financial and personal pressures.
This book focuses more on the stories of the youth and certain thematic issues instead of policy solutions. One of the other reviewers has criticized that choice, but this book has already done a tremendous service in 200 pages by giving voice to a group of people who have been relentlessly stereotyped and dismissed. Furthermore, DCE do point to the importance of things like housing reform and integration (to prevent kids from being trapped in high-poverty neighborhoods), better educational counseling about post-secondary opportunities, better regulation of for-profit colleges and trade schools, and support for personal "identity projects" that can give young kids a sense of meaning and purpose to guide them through the transition into adulthood. These solutions are not tremendously detailed or exhaustive, but they provide an important starting point for a conversation about future investment or reform.
Our underprivileged youth are far tougher, more resilient, and more eager to be productive citizens than most American believe. They deserve far more support than they currently receive, and DCE have done those youth a great service by publishing their life stories for a larger audience. If you have any sort of opinion on education, housing policy, or underprivileged youth, you should read this book.
The most important takeaway from DCE's work is that these impoverished young people already have many of the values that their middle-class and upper-class counterparts have: a desire to make money legitimately, a willingness to work hard, a desire to improve their skills through education, and aspirations of having a real career. Less than 20% of the youth surveyed ever engaged in serious delinquency, and only about 13% were "in the street" for a lengthy period of time. The youth were three times as likely to graduate high school as their parents, and four times as likely to attempt some sort of post-secondary education. In fact, half of the youth had entered college or a trade school at some point.
The problems these young people face, however, are legion. They must deal with bad schools, impoverished neighborhoods (DCE find that prolonged exposure to very poor neighborhoods is a very good predictor of which kids will end up "in the street"), dead-end jobs that fail to pay a living wage, and for-profit trade schools which overpromise and underdeliver on career credentials while saddling their students with significant amounts of debt. The youth lack critical social connections that could help them obtain better information about educational options and find better jobs (connections that many middle-class Americans take for granted). Over time, even the brightest and most promising young people end up "downshifting" their goals because of financial and personal pressures.
This book focuses more on the stories of the youth and certain thematic issues instead of policy solutions. One of the other reviewers has criticized that choice, but this book has already done a tremendous service in 200 pages by giving voice to a group of people who have been relentlessly stereotyped and dismissed. Furthermore, DCE do point to the importance of things like housing reform and integration (to prevent kids from being trapped in high-poverty neighborhoods), better educational counseling about post-secondary opportunities, better regulation of for-profit colleges and trade schools, and support for personal "identity projects" that can give young kids a sense of meaning and purpose to guide them through the transition into adulthood. These solutions are not tremendously detailed or exhaustive, but they provide an important starting point for a conversation about future investment or reform.
Our underprivileged youth are far tougher, more resilient, and more eager to be productive citizens than most American believe. They deserve far more support than they currently receive, and DCE have done those youth a great service by publishing their life stories for a larger audience. If you have any sort of opinion on education, housing policy, or underprivileged youth, you should read this book.
February 12, 2017
Stefanie is an incredible researcher and thoughtful storyteller. I appreciated the respect and care she clearly has for the young people that she interviewed. Her detailed perspective of the challenges they face, common pitfalls, and grit to remain stable is very insightful. Its dense, but a helpful read.
July 4, 2016
3.5 stars. I wanted more from this book-more policy proposals, more depth in the interviews with kids growing up in Baltimore, more of the interviews, period.
May 11, 2018
Based on research of a longitudinal study following youth in Baltimore for over a decade this book looks at the things that help raise children out of poverty and into a better life but also the things that pull them back down. It looks at policies that can help elevate families out of poverty and help children rise beyond the circumstances they were born into.
As a Baltimorean I found this book really compelling, but I think it would be interesting for anyone to read. It really made me think about some things in ways I never had before like why teenagers from impoverished backgrounds tend to make decisions that lead to more short term benefits even if they are less good decisions for the long term. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that a lot of these teenagers wind up in technical schools or community colleges in very specific career oriented programs which they often don't complete for various reasons and sometimes starting other programs instead sending them into a spiral of debt. Unlike students at traditional universities who can try out different courses and majors and apply those credits to their final degree many times without additional cost or time, students in this career oriented programs walk away with debt and no benefit every time they realize their choice in courses is not for them. I had never thought about it in those terms before and it really opened my eyes to one more way that being poor can be more costly than having money to start with.
As a Baltimorean I found this book really compelling, but I think it would be interesting for anyone to read. It really made me think about some things in ways I never had before like why teenagers from impoverished backgrounds tend to make decisions that lead to more short term benefits even if they are less good decisions for the long term. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that a lot of these teenagers wind up in technical schools or community colleges in very specific career oriented programs which they often don't complete for various reasons and sometimes starting other programs instead sending them into a spiral of debt. Unlike students at traditional universities who can try out different courses and majors and apply those credits to their final degree many times without additional cost or time, students in this career oriented programs walk away with debt and no benefit every time they realize their choice in courses is not for them. I had never thought about it in those terms before and it really opened my eyes to one more way that being poor can be more costly than having money to start with.
May 3, 2020
Unsurprisingly, this book shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds who appear disengaged usually have a very good reason to be and still harbour the same aspirations as their middle class peers, albeit against much, much worse odds.
The case studies the authors introduce are heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time and it makes me angry that situations like these exist. It's very heartening to see that so many of them grow up to want to contribute positively to changing their own part of town and heartbreaking that it is made so difficult for them.
I'm a middle class person and I've taught at-risk teenagers at a very, very poverty-stricken part of my home town. The kids there had never seen the harbour, even though that's 10min by train away. They had never left their part of town, from which many of them derived a strong sense of identity. Every day with these kids I felt the hunger for someone from their own to look up to, and how unable I was to fill that gap.
Now, I know my subject, I can listen and love on students and encourage their creativity, but I am so removed from their world that my opinion matters less strongly than one of their own would. If these kids had teachers, youth workers, employers with their background it would make all the difference and it should be made so much easier to help people help their communities. They are always best at it.
The case studies the authors introduce are heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time and it makes me angry that situations like these exist. It's very heartening to see that so many of them grow up to want to contribute positively to changing their own part of town and heartbreaking that it is made so difficult for them.
I'm a middle class person and I've taught at-risk teenagers at a very, very poverty-stricken part of my home town. The kids there had never seen the harbour, even though that's 10min by train away. They had never left their part of town, from which many of them derived a strong sense of identity. Every day with these kids I felt the hunger for someone from their own to look up to, and how unable I was to fill that gap.
Now, I know my subject, I can listen and love on students and encourage their creativity, but I am so removed from their world that my opinion matters less strongly than one of their own would. If these kids had teachers, youth workers, employers with their background it would make all the difference and it should be made so much easier to help people help their communities. They are always best at it.
August 25, 2019
After living in Baltimore for a decade, getting mugged three times and having apartment burglarized once, I and many of my likewise victimized friends had adopted the common, monolithic view of a dangerous and hopeless Baltimore youth whose worlds are forever incompatible with ours. This book corrects that erroneous and destructive view. Packed with statistics that show the vast majority of individuals born into the worst socioeconomic, traumatic worlds - these are war zones - are more similar to “us” than we popular media and the news depict. The book breaks down the many factors that act as undertows, pulling the extreme poor back to their extreme beginnings and preventing the launch into a healthy and productive life that so many of us take for granted. The statistics in this book are illuminating, the personal stories are heartbreaking - and inspiring. The young people that aspire to break away and enter the mainstream far outnumber the few that seek a life “in the street,” much, perhaps, to our surprise.
March 8, 2017
Coming of Age in the Other America is of paramount import. It goes beyond the superficial vantage points that we are often provided and tells the stories of a few young people who grew up in Baltimore. What DeLuca, et al. give us is a glimpse into the realities that face so many youth in our urban cores; from Baltimore to "Oaktown" and Chicago's South Side to NOLA's Ninth Ward. These kids/young adults are not lacking in grit, or perseverance, or desire to get ahead, they are simply dealing with far more than most people will ever understand. Through the use of data, that dates back to research performed in the 1990s, and the accounts given by the children and parents, over the past decade, we learn just how big the obstacles are and how achieving success requires more than hard work and dedication; they have to catch a break occasionally, as well.
One of the big takeaways from Coming of Age is the effect that housing policy can have on society. Moving to Opportunity and Hope VI are two of the programs that have served as building blocks to eradicate the large swaths of low-income housing that have "cut-off" communities from the larger city and reinforced segregative policies leftover from the 20th century. While it takes more than housing policy (education policy/reforms, economic reforms, health-care initiatives, etc.) to mitigate centuries of disinvestment, these programs are a good step (though by no means perfect) and have shown promise in many metropolitan settings. The testimony of those interviewed provides solid evidence that the investment in reform provides far greater benefit than what is required in cost.
Another extremely important insight concerns "Identity Projects"; this part should be of great interest to educators everywhere. Finding ways to get students more involved in their educational opportunities requires more than tests and homework packets. For the student, finding a passion can make the difference in whether or not they have a strong connection to school, strong enough to keep them interested in attending. Increasing graduation rates and helping students make the connection between subject matter and life could go a long way to providing greater access for the limited opportunities available.
Anyone interested in public policy, specifically housing policy, education policy, and the broader area of social policy, should read this. The authors did an excellent job of providing the bigger picture while focusing on a few of Baltimore's youngsters. We see how their (the young adults) definition of success changes as life presents new challenges; and, we gain a better understanding of the adaptability and tenacity that each of them possess. This book is not about the kids from The Wire, it is about some of "their" classmates. The commonality they all share is the desire to find success, however they choose to define it.
One of the big takeaways from Coming of Age is the effect that housing policy can have on society. Moving to Opportunity and Hope VI are two of the programs that have served as building blocks to eradicate the large swaths of low-income housing that have "cut-off" communities from the larger city and reinforced segregative policies leftover from the 20th century. While it takes more than housing policy (education policy/reforms, economic reforms, health-care initiatives, etc.) to mitigate centuries of disinvestment, these programs are a good step (though by no means perfect) and have shown promise in many metropolitan settings. The testimony of those interviewed provides solid evidence that the investment in reform provides far greater benefit than what is required in cost.
Another extremely important insight concerns "Identity Projects"; this part should be of great interest to educators everywhere. Finding ways to get students more involved in their educational opportunities requires more than tests and homework packets. For the student, finding a passion can make the difference in whether or not they have a strong connection to school, strong enough to keep them interested in attending. Increasing graduation rates and helping students make the connection between subject matter and life could go a long way to providing greater access for the limited opportunities available.
Anyone interested in public policy, specifically housing policy, education policy, and the broader area of social policy, should read this. The authors did an excellent job of providing the bigger picture while focusing on a few of Baltimore's youngsters. We see how their (the young adults) definition of success changes as life presents new challenges; and, we gain a better understanding of the adaptability and tenacity that each of them possess. This book is not about the kids from The Wire, it is about some of "their" classmates. The commonality they all share is the desire to find success, however they choose to define it.
November 18, 2016
Quite a heavy read in terms of data analysis and methodology, the authors provide an in depth study of youth in Baltimore, particularly African American youth, both male and female, that live in poverty and the struggles they have in navigating life from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. Littered with the stories of the youth they studied, the authors provide an enormous amount of data analysis as well as analysis of the methodology employed in the study.
What particularly resonated with me was the stories of the youth and the everyday struggles they encountered, their ability to overcome most of these struggles and their desire to do better for themselves and their families. This book is overwhelming in terms of the hardships and struggles it reveals for young African American men and women in Baltimore. And it provides an indictment of the for-profit post secondary schools such as ITT, TESST, Lincoln Tech, etc. But I also believe it provides an indictment of Baltimore City Public Schools and leads me to question the management of the BCPSS funds and the training of the staff to know what resources are available and how to guide their students.
What particularly resonated with me was the stories of the youth and the everyday struggles they encountered, their ability to overcome most of these struggles and their desire to do better for themselves and their families. This book is overwhelming in terms of the hardships and struggles it reveals for young African American men and women in Baltimore. And it provides an indictment of the for-profit post secondary schools such as ITT, TESST, Lincoln Tech, etc. But I also believe it provides an indictment of Baltimore City Public Schools and leads me to question the management of the BCPSS funds and the training of the staff to know what resources are available and how to guide their students.
Want to read
December 16, 2016* Understanding Oppression: African American Rights (Then and Now)
Recent research on inequality and poverty has shown that those born into low-income families, especially African Americans, still have difficulty entering the middle class, in part because of the disadvantages they experience living in more dangerous neighborhoods, going to inferior public schools, and persistent racial inequality. #socialscience #politics
Recent research on inequality and poverty has shown that those born into low-income families, especially African Americans, still have difficulty entering the middle class, in part because of the disadvantages they experience living in more dangerous neighborhoods, going to inferior public schools, and persistent racial inequality. #socialscience #politics
April 24, 2016
Possibly the most important book I have read, or will read, all year.
May 8, 2016
Outstanding description of the conditions facing young urban adults who are entering post-secondary education and the workforce. Somewhat short on recommendations to improve these conditions.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews