When the Bough Break

Argues that American children are suffering from public and private neglect manifested by declining social spending and less parental guidance, and examines some innovative responses by businesses

A searing critique of the American family, our corporate leaders and public officials. American children, contends economist Hewlett (The Cruel Dilemmas of Development, 1980), are victims of private and public neglect. There are almost 13 million poor children in this country, Hewlett declares--a rise of 20% since 1979. Of these, 330,000 are homeless and 12 million are uninsured and medically neglected. Hewlett also cites increasing numbers of broken marriages, unwed teen-age mothers, and drug-addicted babies. Our barely literate high-school graduates, she says, cannot compete with their peers in Japan or Europe. Hewlett places much of the onus for the crisis on the breakdown of the family. With the therapists and feminists of the Sixties, she argues, came a ``me first'' philosophy that fostered divorce and neglected children. Government policies--local and national--have been equally detrimental. Restrictions on free legal abortions have resulted in the birth of unwanted children whose societal costs become a monumental burden to all. And housing welfare families in squalid welfare hotels at $2,000 a month is both unconscionable and counterproductive, she contends. Hewlett winds up her impassioned text with concrete suggestions for reform, ranging from changes in the divorce laws to staggered work hours that allow parents to spend more time with children. Much can be learned from her compelling, well-documented study. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Hewlett, an economist, consultant, lecturer, and a volunteer with homeless children, has produced a powerful, extensively researched and often shocking book that explores the plight of a vast number of our children today. She delves into a multitude of problems--substance abuse, emotional instability, and broken homes--that contribute to parental and public neglect. Hewlett also outlines ways society can help to rectify the situation, including educational reform, changes in workplace, and government policies. The author's "no holds barred" approach to the harsh reality of neglect stirs the emotions and will no doubt cause public reaction. This book will be of great interest to professionals and general readers, as it is a well-documented, compelling study that fully analyzes a nationwide problem.
- Jo-Anne Mary Benson, Osgoode, Ontario
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.