2014 Children, Youth and Environments Children, Youth and Environments 24(1), 2014 Necessary Spaces Saundra Murray Nettles (2013). Charlotte, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 98 pages. $41.00 USD (paperback). ISBN: 978-1623963316. There is a racial divide in American schools that is reflected in the disproportionate number of African-American children suspended and expelled from school, as well as the disproportionate number of African-American students in special education (Losen and Skiba 2010). In her book Necessary Spaces, author Saundra Murray Nettles provides an ecological model to develop connections between schools, families, and communities to bridge the divide and close the disparity gap. Nettles, the daughter of educators, both with advanced degrees, grew up in the segregated South. Her father was the principal at Dr. Martin Luther King’s alma mater in Atlanta, Georgia and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. Nettles’ experiences as a young girl growing up in a middle-class African-American family in segregated neighborhoods are reflected in throughout the book. Presently, she is a scholar of human development, specializing in resilience in children and adolescents, the development of African-American women and the impact of community and neighborhoods on the academic development of children. She holds a BA in Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Using the old South as a backdrop, the author takes the reader to a time before integration, to African-American neighborhoods that were rich in culture, resources, and connections. This idyllic backdrop is based on segregated middle- and upperclass communities. She provides the context in which learning occurred in natural environments with many “teachers” in all aspects of school, community and family life. Throughout the book, adults share childhood memories that describe learning activities in informal settings where the community existed as the school, parks as playgrounds and community members as teachers. The author supports Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological model that posits that optimal development occurs when the micro-system—the child and family, and the macrosystem —the community members, are intricately linked and vested in the child’s success (Bronfrenbrenner 1979). It is Nettles’ assertion that these “necessary spaces” of individual and collective memories, which provide insight on connections between home and school, are the key to rebuilding strong neighborhoods and igniting children’s passion for excellence and learning. Chapter One, entitled “Home Ground,” offers a glimpse into the world of AfricanAmerican families during the 1950s. The shaping of educational values during this period included themes that adults conveyed to children: (a) communality, (b) Book Review: Necessary Spaces 193 aversion to Whites, and (c) the disparity between their own neighborhoods and those of White children. Culture and ethnicity were also promoted in the home environment by displaying cultural artifacts, ethnic music and books that reflected African-American culture. Chapter Two, “Curriculum of Place,” is described by the author as the place where Black children found “support for being who we were, and where we rehearsed for roles we might undertake in the future” (22). The environment was a segregated place where lessons in History, English, Math and Sociology took place. These lessons occurred on street corners and in homes where adults shared ancestral stories, corrected grammar and conveyed academic and social expectations. Schools, local businesses, community libraries and neighborhood parks were also learning spaces. Schools in segregated communities are described as places that celebrated the history of African-American children while offering opportunities and presenting possibilities beyond the confines of the neighborhood. Black history was integrated in all aspects of the curriculum as children were encouraged to dream and challenged to grow. Although textbooks were silent on the achievements of Blacks, teachers in these Southern segregated schools shared and celebrated the accomplishments of notable men and women of African descent. The author points out the importance of these history lessons in inspiring and motivating Black youth to seek educational excellence. Chapter Three, “Landscapes of Resistance,” describes the activities of rebellion and opposition to oppression in isolated neighborhoods in the South. It is noted that African-American families discussed race and racism as a part of everyday family life. Children were taught about issues such as discrimination and Jim...