OA: Teens in Prison

By Gail B. Stewart

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560063386
• ISBN13: 9781560063384
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Lucent Books
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful

This is one installation in a series discussing the have-nots in the United States. I think it's meant for 'tweens. There are many teenagers and college students who do community service and are bound to be progressive. However, I don't know how many 'tweens are thinking of these matters of injustice. Progressive parents will love this series. The book has many photos, but it's not a quick read either. The introduction is much more academic, and possibly intimidating, than the body chapters. Young readers may want to read the introduction last, or not at all. This book tries to have racial diversity, but I did notice that all the subjects were people of color. Perhaps they were the most willing to speak to the author. I would just hate for readers to think that white teens don't have some or all of the same problems that the teens of color here have. Very strikingly, the one girl in this book never has her face shown, unlike all the boys that do. I don't know if she wanted the anonymity or the author encouraged her to do so. It does leave a tacit message that we can be open about males in prison, but not females in prison. This odd gender dynamic may be both problematic and revolutionary. The teens here are such a mixed bag. They face injustices like dysfunctional homes, abusive parents, lax schools, rape, inter alia. However, the teens also choose to sell drugs, skip school, run away, pick fist fights, etc. These facts may make readers unsympathetic to the subject, the total opposite of the author's purpose. I'm not the target reader for this book. Still, I respect the author's purpose and mission. I hope young readers will be enlightened by it.