Description
Book SynopsisDexter R. Voisin provides a compelling and social-justice-oriented analysis of current trends in neighborhood violence in light of the historical and structural factors that have reproduced entrenched patterns of racial and economic inequality. He features the powerful voices and insights of black youth in Chicago and their parents and communities.
Trade ReviewVoisin (Univ. of Toronto, Canada) has written a robust and captivating book detailing the impacts of neighborhood violence on the lives of impoverished black youth . . . The book is excellent in its overview of the problems at hand and the ways to address them . . . Highly recommended. -- J. A. Beicken, Rocky Mountain College * Choice *
Based on years of study, Dexter Voisin has written an unusually thoughtful, sensitive, and astute meditation on violence—what it means, how it comes about, how it affects people, and how the media choose to write about it. The book’s critical yet sober stance means the author’s clear and unmistakable sense of urgency is coupled with a subtle, sophisticated sense of the many-faceted consequences of violence. A consistently enlightening work. -- Mario L. Small, author of
Someone to Talk ToVoisin powerfully shows that the violence that Chicago’s black youth experience is rooted in the nation as a whole. He untangles these complex systems and offers clear and effective solutions. This book will be illuminating for scholars, policy makers, and practitioners alike. -- Mary Pattillo, author of
Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the CityDexter Voisin writes with conviction, clarity, and conscience in connecting the dots between big ideas (racism, violence, resilience) and daily life through his personal story and those of the folks he has interviewed.
America the Beautiful and Violent will help you understand how African American youth can not only survive, but thrive. -- Lois Takahashi, University of Southern California
Most discussions of violence focus on its horrors and have the tendency to portray perpetrators in a stereotypical manner. This book, on the other hand, has the potential to deepen our understanding of violence and shed light on solutions. -- Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles
Table of Contents1. The Beginning
2. The Tale of Two Americas
3. Not All Violence Is the Same: Race- and Place-Based Violence
4. The Road to Concentrated Poverty and Neighborhood Violence
5. The Scars of Violence
6. When Violence and Sex Are Entangled
7. Living and Parenting in the Presence of Everyday Dangers
8. Joining the Broken Pieces: Practice and Policy Solutions and Systems Integration
9. Making a Difference: Rebuilding the Village
Notes
Index
