Lost Boys: Why our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them - Hardcover

Garbarino, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684859084 ISBN 13: 9780684859088

Publisher: Free Press, 1999

Synopsis

In the first book to help parents truly understand youth violence and stop it before it explodes, national expert Dr. James Garbarino reveals how to identify children who are at risk and offers proven methods to prevent aggressive behavior. After more than a decade of relentless increase in the urban war zones of large cities, violence by young boys and adolescents is on the rise in our suburbs, small towns, and rural communities. Twenty-five years as a psychologist working in the trenches with such children has convinced James Garbarino that boys everywhere really are angrier and more violent than ever before. In light of the recent school-based shootings, it's now clear that no matter where we live or how hard we try as parents, chances are our children are going to school with troubled boys capable of getting guns and pulling triggers. Beyond the deaths and debilitating injuries that result from this phenomenon are the staggering psychological costs -- children who are afraid to go to school, teachers who are afraid of their students, and parents who fear for their children's lives. Building on his pioneering work, Garbarino shows why young men and boys have become increasingly vulnerable to violent crime and how lack of adult supervision and support poses a real and growing threat to our children's basic safety. For these vulnerable boys, violence can become normal, the "right thing to do." Terry, one of the boys Garbarino interviews, says "I just wasn't gonna take it anymore. I knew I would have to pay the price for what I did, but I didn't care." We've seen how the deadly combination of ignoring excessively bad behavior and allowing easy access to guns has destroyed families in Pennsylvania, Oregon, New York, Washington, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Fortunately, parents can spot troubled boys and take steps to protect their families from violence if they know what signs to look for -- lack of connection, masking emotions, withdrawal, silence, rage, trouble with friends, hypervigilance, cruelty toward other children and even animals -- all warning signs that every parent and peer can recognize and report. Dr. Garbarino, whom Dr. Stanley Greenspan of the National Institute of Mental Health hails as "one of the true pioneers in our understanding of the inner life of our youth," addresses the wide range of issues that boys of every temperament and from every background may have to confront as they grow and develop. By outlining the steps parents, teachers, and public officials can take to keep all children safer, Dr. Garbarino holds out hope and solutions for turning our kids away from violence, before it is too late. This is one of the most important and original books ever written about boys.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Garbarino not only makes the clearest and most persuasive arguments of the current [books on the subject], but he is also the best storyteller."--Time Out New York

"Parents and social workers and even politicians could do a lot worse than follow his advice--. A therapeutic primer."--The Nation

"Dr. Garbarino is a brilliant pioneer in charting a humane and intelligent course in preventing youth violence."--Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

"Jim Garbarino sounds the alarm about the spread of youth violence--. Focusing on the hurt and social alienation that are at the heart of youth violence, he offers not only insight and compassion, but also steps that will lead to prevention and intervention."--Marian Wright Edelman, President, The Children's Defense Fund

"Garbarino's work is a guiding light for national policies, as well as individual parents and other citizens."--Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D., author of Playground Politics: Understanding The Emotional Life of the School-Age Child

"I can think of few more qualified and eloquent than Jim Garbarino to address these questions [of teen violence]. His is a voice of reason and one grounded in reality. It is a voice, a moral voice, we should feel fortunate to have among us."--Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here

From the Inside Flap:

"Remarkable--. What sets Lost Boys apart from the ordinary lament is the author's palpable sense of care and compassion."--"The Washington Post Book World
In the past few years our national consciousness has been altered by haunting images of mass slaughters in American high schools, carried out by troubled young boys with guns. It's now clear that no matter where we live or how hard we try as parents, our children are likely to be going to school with boys who are capable of getting guns and pulling triggers. What has caused teen violence to spread from the urban war-zones of large cities right into the country's heartland? And what can we do to stop this terrifying trend?
James Garbarino, Ph.D., Cornell University professor and nationally noted psychologist, insists that there are things that we, both as individuals and as a society, can do. In a richly anecdotal style he outlines warning signs that parents and teachers can recognize, and suggests steps that can be taken to turn angry and unhappy boys away from violent action. Full of insight, vivid individual portraits, practical advice and considered hope, this is one of the most important and original books ever written about boys.

About this edition

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0684859084
• ISBN 13: 9780684859088
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288