Media Review: No Disposable KIDS

Abstract

MEDIA REVIEW Robert B. Rutherford, Jr., Editor No Disposable Larry K. Brendtro, Arlin Ness, and Martin Mitchell Sopris West, Colorado, 2001 At a time when school violence is commonplace and more and more children are being treated as adults in the eyes of the law, we must question whether or not our current practices and interventions in the lives of troubled youths are producing the desired ends. Brendtro, Ness, and Mitchell's text No Disposable KIDS provides readers with an effective tool to begin to answer this question. Not only do they examine the antecedents and consequences of troubled youths' behaviors, but they also analyze the behaviors of the adults and systems that have historically served them. We are asked to consider the potential and strengths of all of our young people. The book opens with a compelling story about a young man whom many considered disposable. In each subsequent chapter, we gain more insight into this young man's private logic and behavior. We are exposed to the difficulty the adults in his life experience as they struggle to make sound decisions about appropriate interventions. Each section of the story then sets the stage for the chapter content that follows. In this widely accessible text, Brendtro and his colleagues provide readers with prescriptions and reminders about what challenging young people need to grow into thriving adults. Several central themes run through the text's five chapters. The importance of involving youths as partners in their own developmental process and engaging them in meaningful ways is paramount in any attempt at intervention. The need for adults to lead by example and the consequences of the failure to do so are brought to the forefront. The crucial task of confronting the presence of racism, hidden or blatant, is stressed throughout. Finally, the content of each chapter is infused with sources readers can go to for more information when confronting a particular challenge, or as the authors suggest, opportunities for change. Chapter One, Rebel with a Cause, lays the foundation for the rest of the book. It is in this chapter that the children who are typically labeled disposable are defined. Readers are compelled to consider the many factors that shape the lives and behavior of these troubled children. In the various sections of the chapter the authors describe the culture of disrespect children are reared in, the cycles of hostility they are caught in, the bullying and ridicule they participate in or succumb to, the effects that negative peer cultures have on them, and the ways in which their lives are interrupted. Each section gives the origins of the behavior, examples of their effects on youths, and examples of ineffective and often inappropriate adult responses to those behaviors. Chapter Two, Kids in Crisis, describes society's view of these troubled youths and the current state of crisis in which many systems that claim to educate, treat, punish, and rehabilitate find themselves. This view, or what the authors describe as the pessimistic lens through which children are observed, shapes educational, mental health, and juvenile/adult justice systems' policies, approaches, and practices as they attempt to punish or rehabilitate troubled youths. Defining these youths in terms of their negative attributes is often seen as justification for their treatment as adults and resulting maltreatment. This practice is reminiscent of the expectancy theory: You get what you expect, both positive and negative. Rather than relying on strengths-based practices, many systems have a history of operating in the deficit model. When researching reasons why some programs have failed in their attempts to treat their youths, the authors cite the following common themes: 1. …