Lives in the Balance: Youth, Poverty, and Education in Watts (Suny Series, Urban Voices, Urban Visions)

This compelling examination (by a former high school teacher in Watts, Los Angeles) shows how poverty affects the lives of young people.This book is a wake-up call to the nation dealing with the realities of the lives of young people living in poverty in the inner city. The perspective is unique: it combines the voices of students attending a high school in the Watts community of Los Angeles with current research to create a clearer picture of the lives of people who live in poverty and some of the factors which serve to perpetuate that poverty. The author focuses on issues cited by individuals who blame the poor for their own plight as evidence that those living in poverty are responsible for the state of their lives: academic failure, problematic family dynamics, adolescent maternity, child abuse, substance abuse, and gang membership. She debunks the myths and negative stereotypes about inner-city youth and challenges those blaming the poor, thereby providing the reader the opportunity to explore the socio-political realities of living in poverty.