Book Reviews

Pride in the Projects: Teens Building Identities in Urban Contexts (Qualitative Studies in Psychology)
by Nancy Deutsch (Author)
NYU Press (2008)
Based on 4 years of field work with both the adolescent members and staff of an inner-city youth organization in a large mid-western city, Pride in the Projects examines the construction of identity as it occurs within this local context, emphasizing the relationships within which identities are formed. Drawing on research in psychology, sociology, education, and race and gender studies, the volume highlights the inadequacies in current identity development theories.  The adolescents’ stories illuminate how they find ways to discover who they are, and who they would like to be – in positive and healthy ways – in the face of very real obstacles.

The Myth of the Model Minority: Asian Americans Facing Racism
by Rosalind S. Chou, Joe R. Feagin
Paradigm Publishers (2008)
Sociologists Rosalind Chou and Joe Feagin examine, for the first time in depth, racial stereotyping and discrimination daily faced by Asian Americans long viewed by whites as the model minority. Drawing on more than 40 field interviews across the country, they examine the everyday lives of Asian Americans in numerous different national origin groups. Their data contrast sharply with white-honed, especially media, depictions of racially untroubled Asian American success. The authors explore numerous instances of white-imposed discrimination faced by Asian Americans in a variety of settings.

The SAGE Handbook of African American Education
by Linda C. Tillman (Editor)
Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (2008)
The SAGE Handbook of African American Education is a unique, comprehensive collection of theoretical and empirical scholarship in six important areas: historical perspectives, teaching and learning, Pre-K-12 school leadership, higher education, current issues, and education policy. The purpose of the Handbook is to articulate perspectives on issues affecting the participation and leadership of African Americans in Pre-K-12 and postsecondary education.

Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools
by Pedro A. Noguera (Editor), Jean Yonemura Wing (Editor)
Jossey-Bass (2008)
Unfinished Business illuminates the challenges in overcoming the current inequities in public education. Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, this book exposes a “tale of two schools” where students walk through the same high school doors but remain racially and academically segregated within – a condition mirrored in urban schools and districts across the nation. The authors offer a hopeful, yet urgent, call to invest in youth on the front side of life and to hold fast to the vision of a future where all children can truly learn, achieve, and dream.

Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society
by Carola Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, Irina Todorova
Belknap Press; 1 edition (2008)
Based on an interdisciplinary study that followed 400 newly arrived children from the Caribbean, China, Central America, and Mexico for five years, Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society provides a compelling account of the lives, dreams, and frustrations of these youngest immigrants. Richly told portraits of high and low achievers are packed with unexpected ironies. When they arrive, most children are full of optimism and a respect for education. But poor neighborhoods and dull – often dangerous – schools can corrode hopes. The vast majority learn English – but it is the English of video games and the neighborhood, not that of standardized tests. For some of these children, those heading off to college, America promises to be a land of dreams. These lucky ones have often benefited from caring mentors, supportive teachers, or savvy parents. For others, the first five years are marked by disappointments, frustrations, and disenchantment. How can we explain their varied academic journeys?