The African American Child: Development and Challenges
Product Description
This book introduces social science students to African-American child development.
The authors provide:
* A discussion of the issues that impact the lives of African-American children that typically is not discussed in child development textbooks or is relegated to a paragraph in most developmental textbooks.
* A balanced discussion of the challenges that impact the lives of African-American children as well as emphasize their strengths and their resiliency.
* A sampling of research that moves beyond a deficit view of the development of African-American children and takes into account the historical, cultural and social factors that influence developmental outcomes for African-American children is included.
* Critical thinking in social science students about future directions for research on African-American children and their families.
The African American Child: Development and Challenges
Bogdan Dorohonceanu said,
Wrote on September 4, 2010 @ 10:47 pm
“Harris and Graham review available research about African American children in the areas of health, the family, education, language and literacy, and moral and social development, and also indicate some limitations of these inquiries. They provide a model of appropriate research design, examining general problems of research, before turning their attention to the specifics of African American children. As a context for their broader discussion of development, they present various psychological theories and note how these have or have not addressed the needs of black children. Subsequent chapters provide overviews/discussions of particular issues and summaries with appropriate bibliographic references. Although African American children have been discussed in numerous educational and sociological books, the focus has usually been on the problematic nature of the children’s experience–i.e., on deficits rather than differences. This book argues convincingly that children’s cultural differences need to be recognized for any accurate understanding of their development. Pointing out the need for additional and more effectively designed research, Harris and Graham provide a valuable foundation for further investigations. This nonpolemic book should be in all libraries, filling an unfortunate gap. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.”
– 11/07 issue of CHOICE. (CHOICE is a monthly magazine targeted primarily to librarians. Their short reviews are one of the most important collection development tools.)
“This excellent book…should be required reading for individuals working with African American children and their families ( and students who will be).”
–Doody’s Review Service
From the book cover:
“This book does a wonderful job of providing a comprehensive, up-to-date portrayal of research, thinking, and issues related to the African American child. The books special contribution is to cover what specifically is known about the African American child on a wide range of topics in the field of child development (from various social contexts to language and literacy). I know of no other book that does this so effectively.”
–John W. Santrock, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas
“This carefully researched, clearly written, highly current text offers for the first time a holistic view of the development and life conditions of African-American children. Among its exemplary features are a rich picture of African-American childrens past and contemporary experiences and many highly informative, well-reasoned discussions of pressing social issues relevant to African-American childrens adjustment – including school desegregation, racial identity, black language dialects, community violence, and health care. The African American Child is an invaluable resource for scholars, policy makers, educators, and students of culture and child development. Bravo to the authors for greatly clarifying the steps that we – as individuals, as communities, and as a society – must take to promote African-American children’s well-being.”
–Laura E. Berk, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Illinois State University
Rating: 5 / 5