Family - Assorted Topics, Educational Levels & Settings, Educational Theory, Research & History
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Overview
Our children are a nation at risk. Poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, poor health, illiteracy, racial prejudice, and the eruption of unprecedented levels of violence both in the inner cities and across the country give us ample reason to worry about the present state of our nation and society. Yet while today's problems carry severe consequences for us, they are immeasurably graver for today's children. In Today's Children, David Hamburg, M.D., president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and a nationally recognized authority on child development, provides a comprehensive overview of the crises our infants and adolescents face, and the decisions we must make to protect them. Beginning with an overview of the biological, social, and psychological heritage we all share as human beings, Dr. Hamburg explores the historical role of the family in child-raising. He analyzes how changes in the family structure and in social norms, including rising divorce rates, two-career families, illiteracy, violence, and poor nutrition have resulted in what he calls an inadvertent tidal wave of child neglect. Dr. Hamburg's book surveys important recent research in child development, focusing on early childhood and early adolescence, the two most critical periods during which appropriate intervention can make a permanent difference in children's lives. It also looks closely at innovative programs that point in the most promising directions for improving young lives. Policymakers, social scientists, educators, and parents will find in Dr. Hamburg a wise and experienced spokesman for our children.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Poverty, divorce and drug abuse are some of the obstacles to raising healthy children in America discussed here by Carnegie Corporation president Hamburg, who handily summarizes solutions offered by recent research and programs. There are many good suggestions. Hamburg, a psychiatrist, stresses the need for support systems and an overhaul of younger adolescent education, and offers ways to improve prenatal care, day care, drug abuse prevention and sex education. But he goes over old ground when discussing such problems as the breakdown of the family. Few toes are stepped on in the book. Hamburg takes no stand on providing birth control and abortion counseling. This is a useful guide which could have been more daring. (Jan.)Library Journal
Hamburg, psychiatrist, educator, and president of the Carnegie Corporation, outlines the vast social changes of the last 25 years (e.g., erosion of the family, widespread poverty, graphic violence on TV) and prescribes what the country needs to remedy the risks. He focuses on the unique needs of children under two years of age, as well as those in middle schools. His research is thorough, and Hamburg never despairs for the future of children and society as a whole. His book is as transforming as Robert N. Bellah's Habits of the Heart ( LJ 3/1/85) was for the last decade, and is sure to be read widely.-- Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, Pa.Book Details
Published
February 1, 1992
Publisher
New York : Times Books, c1992.
Pages
384
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780812919141