Beyond the Picket Fence: Life Beyond the Middle-Class Bubble

Rules, traditions of the past, and assumptions... all have been swept away by rapid social change. Instead of freeing people this has left us stressed, confused, unprepared, and unable to navigate different environments and situations that can be more than just hostile. Environments outside suburbia can become dangerous -- especially for teens and young adults. "Beyond the Picket Fence" isn't a self-defense book, but it is very much about what will get you into trouble with people. Arrests, violence, and rapes often befall young people when they go 'out to party.' Originally this book was -- literally -- about how not to get killed while outside suburbia and in places where it is easy to cross unspoken lines. Yet the best meaning prohibitions usually fall on deaf ears. This book takes a different approach. We're not telling young people, "Don't go." We know they'll go. Instead we'll them what they need to look out for when they wander outside their home's picket fence. We'll help them stay out of jail or the emergency room.