Synopses & Reviews
Child abuse policy in the United States contains dangerous contradictions, which have only intensified as the public slowly accepted it as a middle class problem. One contradiction is the rapidly expanding child abuse industry (made up of enterprising psychotherapists and attorneys) which is consuming enormous resources, while thousands of poor children are seriously injured or killed, many while being "protected" by public agencies. This "rediscovery" has also led to the frenzied pursuit of offenders, resulting in the sacrifice of some innocent people. Moreover, the media's focus on the sensational details of high-visibility sexual abuse cases has helped to trivialize, if not commercialize, the child abuse problem. As such, child abuse has gone from a social problem to a social spectacle.
By the 1980s the child welfare system had become a virtual "nonsystem," marked by a staggering turnover of staff, unmanageable caseloads, a severe shortage of funding, and caseloads composed of highly dysfunctional families (many with drug-related problems). To make room for these families, public agencies rationed services by increasingly screening-out child abuse reports which contained little likelihood of serious bodily harm.
In The Politics of Child Abuse in America, the authors argue that child abuse must be viewed as a public safety problem. This redefinition would make it congruent with other family-based social trends, including the crackdown on domestic violence. Children must have the same legal protection currently extended to physically and sexually abused women. This can be done by creating a "Children's Authority," which would have the overall charge for protecting children. Specifically, Children's Authorities would have the responsibility for providing the six main functions of child protection: investigation, enforcement, placement services, prevention and education, family support, and research and development.
Offering a unique perspective on the cold reality of this crisis, The Politics of Child Abuse in America will be a provocative work for social workers and human service personnel, as well as the general reader concerned with this timely issue.
Review
"Excellent and provocative."--Choice
"Central to the future of a nation is how it treats or allows its children to be treated. No topic in our time is more important than what we as a nation do to protect our children. In the last several decades concern with child abuse has taken center stage. Yet the issue is not child abuse, but how child abuse is defined and addressed. Costin, Karger, and Stoesz examine this issue in detail. Their study is a watershed event in the discussion about child abuse in the United States.
"In the long view of history, what is significant, what stands out are voices that identify fundamental and driving issues and develop lines of inquiry which significantly address these issues. This is the strength of The Politics of Child Abuse in America."--Duncan Lindsey, School of Public Policy and Social Research, University of California, Los Angeles and author of The Welfare of Children
"This book is extremely well-written and readable. It is powerful and hard-hitting at the same time that it is scholarly and intellectually honest. The authors provide a clear, integrated, conceptual historical perspective on the rise of the current child welfare system. They explain the concepts that have guided the system, past and present, and develop and overarching interpretive framework that fits the facts well while accounting for how the system has evolved toward the crisis that it is presently in. The authors jump right into today's heated debates, and emerge with their own unique entry to the current field of proposals for restructuring the system."--Leroy H. Pelton, Ph.D., School of Social Work, Salem State College
Review
"Kenney captures the imagination as he weaves together detail and insight, chronicling strains of elitism within the various recording companies and the adoption of jazz tunes and other popular music....This book is a must read for those interested in the recording industry or the history of popular
music. It also sets a high standard for graduate students seeking to read works that incorporate excellent research technique and understanding with superb writing."--Journal of History
"Detailed studies of the phonograph and recorded music are seriously lacking. A book such as this is long overdue, and Kenney's work will open the field of study in a most appropriate and scholarly manner. This is a valuable and useful contribution to the study of American life."--Sam Brylawski;
Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division; Library of Congress
"At last someone has attempted to place the phonograph industry in the context of America's cultural life. This book provides the first systematic attempt at integrating the entertainment medium broadly into twentieth-century American life . . . makes claims that have been in need of debate for some
time now."--Victor Greene, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
"A fascinating exploration of the topic and addition to the literature; highly recommended for all libraries."--Choice
"In this comprehensive study, Kenney provides a long-overdue update of histories such as Roland Gelatt's The Fabulous Phonograph: From Tin Foil to High Fidelity...[he] asks innovative theoretical questions."--American Historical Review
About the Author
Lela B. Costin is Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois. Howard Jacob Karger is Professor of Social Work at the University of Houston. David Stoesz is Professor of Social Work at San Diego State University.