Children - Social Issues, Public Affairs & Policies, Social Problems
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Overview
Most of us take food, shelter, and clothing for granted. But not everyone in the United States has a place to live. There are approximately three million homeless people in this country, and more people become homeless every day. 'Update: Homelessness' looks at the origins of homelessness and examines the problems that homeless people face today.Discusses the problem of homelessness in the United States, with a particular emphasis on homeless families. Includes a listing of organizations that help the homeless.
Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 6 UpA well-written overview of homelessness in the U.S. from the 1930s to the present. McCauslin covers poverty; lack of housing; the problems of homeless children; the part stress plays in health, crime, and drug abuse; and looks toward the future for immediate goals and long-term solutions. The text is illustrated with graphic, high-quality, black-and-white photographs and includes boxed statistics, highlighted case studies, and names of agencies where aid is available. A useful glossary/index is also provided. However, there is no list for further reading, so students wanting to know more will have to search on their own. Another concern is the format. The slim book appears to be for a young audience, when in actuality the text is geared to older readers. Elaine Landau's The Homeless (S.&S., 1987) has been a standard selection on the topic; McCauslin's title updates it and may appeal to reluctant readers.Sylvia Hook, Chelsea Public Library, VTAnne O'Malley
Homelessness has many causes, primarily the fact that "there are more poor people than there are affordable homes." Accordingly, McCauslin surveys and analyzes the decline of affordable housing units in the past few decades, along with other economic and employment factors that have resulted in growing numbers of homeless in the U.S. This slim volume balances facts, statistics, and engaging vignettes as it considers the factors leading to homelessness, the lives of homeless children, and the vicious circle of crime, danger, and disease as attendant problems. Unfortunately, cartoon drawings introducing each chapter give a cluttered effect to the design; the black-and-white photos generally do not reflect enough racial diversity; and the "glossary/index" is really just a glossary. Still, the book, which is part of the uneven Update series, makes a good introduction to the subject, especially for middle-school students, because it presents complex information in manageable doses of well-written prose. Sources for further information are appended.Book Details
Published
January 1, 1994
Publisher
San Val, Incorporated
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780613051590