Lives on the Edge: Single Mothers and Their Children in the Other America - Softcover

Polakow, Valerie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226671844 ISBN 13: 9780226671840

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1994

Synopsis

One out of five children, and one out of two single mothers, lives in destitution in America today. The feminization and "infantilization" of poverty have made the United States one of the most dangerous democracies for poor mothers and their children to inhabit. Why then, Valerie Polakow asks, is poverty seen as a private issue, and how can public policy fail to take responsibility for the consequences of our politics of distribution? Written by a committed child advocate, Lives on the Edge draws on social, historical, feminist, and public policy perspectives to develop an informed, wide-ranging critique of American educational and social policy. Stark, penetrating, and unflinching in its first-hand portraits of single mothers in America today, this work challenges basic myths about justice and democracy.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Lives on the Edge offers a penetrating, deeply disturbing look into the other America inhabited by single mothers and their children. Its powerful and moving portraits force us to confront the poverty, destitution, and struggle for survival that await single mothers in one of the richest nations in the world. One in five children and one in two single mothers live in destitution today. The feminization and "infantilization" of poverty have made the United States one of the most dangerous democracies for poor mothers and their children to inhabit. Why then, Valerie Polakow asks, is poverty seen as a private affair - "their problem, not ours" - and how can public policy fail to take responsibility for the consequences of our politics of distribution? Searching for an answer, Polakow considers the historical and ideological sources for society's attitudes toward single mothers and their children, and shows how our dominant images of "normal" families and motherhood have shaped our perceptions, practices, and public policies. Polakow's account traces the historical legacy of discrimination against the "dangerous classes" and the "undeserving poor" - a legacy that culminates in the current public hostility towards welfare recipients. Polakow moves beyond the cold voice of statistics to take us into the daily lives of single mothers and their children. The stories of young black teenage mothers, of white single mothers, of homeless mothers are presented with clarity and quiet power. In a detailed look inside the classroom worlds of their children, Polakow explores what life is like if one is very young and poor, and consigned to otherness in the landscape of school. School is a place thatmatters - it is also a place where children are defined as "at risk" or "at promise". Polakow's astute analysis of poor children's pedagogy provides a critical challenge to educators. Written by an educator and committed child advocate, Lives on the Edge draws on social, historical, feminist, and public policy perspectives to develop an informed, wide-ranging critique of American educational and social policy. Polakow's recommendations in the areas of social policy and education point to useful cross-cultural models as well as successful small-scale programs in place in the United States. Yet Polakow constantly reminds us that "small facts speak to large issues". By providing us with a living sense of the other America, she helps us to realize that "their" America is no "other" than ours. Stark, penetrating, and unflinching, this work challenges our cherished myths of justice and democracy.

From Kirkus Reviews:

What life is like for single mothers and their children living in poverty in America today--and why it need not be that way. Polakow (Educational Psychology/Eastern Michigan University) brings historical perspective to society's often hostile attitudes toward the poor, especially those on welfare. Interviews with six black teenage mothers and five somewhat older white mothers reveal their precarious existence and their struggles to cope in the face of woefully inadequate social-support systems. The author also looks closely at the early classroom experiences of selected poor children, concluding that discriminatory assumptions and expectations of educators often fail to enrich such childhoods and, instead, promote discouragement and failure. Noting that the US falls far short of the level of social services offered in other Western industrialized countries, Polakow argues for universal health care, a national child-care system, affordable housing, child allowances, parental leave, and educational reform. Acknowledging that legislative and public support for such measures is lacking, she urges a fundamental change in the way the ``haves'' view (i.e., blame) the ``have-nots.'' The individual stories here refute the popular image of welfare mothers as moral degenerates breeding children solely for the meal tickets they represent. Polakow's subjects care for their children and strive to improve their lot but are hampered by social policies that thwart rather than aid their efforts. Their individual stories, told mostly in their own words, are often moving, but Polakow's academese (``deconstructing the myth of childhood''; ``pedagogy of equity''; ``concrete praxis'') can make for slow going. A serious effort that commands attention when the poor speak for themselves but that loses its power when the professor lectures. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0226671844
• ISBN 13: 9780226671840
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 234