On Becoming a Teen Mom - by Mary Patrice Erdmans & Timothy Black (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"In 2013, the New York City Public Health Department placed public service announcements on trains and buses and at transportation stops that showed photos of frowning or crying children saying such things as 'I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen' and 'Honestly, Mom ... Chances are he won't stay with you. What happens to me?' Campaigns like this support a public narrative that portrays teen mothers as threatening the moral order, bankrupting state coffers, and causing high rates of poverty, incarceration, and school dropout. These campaigns demonize teen mothers but tell us nothing about their lives before they became pregnant. In this myth-shattering and often deeply disturbing book, sociologists Mary Patrice Erdmans and Timothy Black tell the life stories of 108 brown, white, and black teen mothers. They expose the problems that cause distress in these young women's lives and that are often overlooked in pregnancy prevention campaigns. Some stories are tragic and painful, marked by child sexual abuse, partner violence, and school failure. Others are less devastating, depicting 'girl next door' characters whose unintended pregnancies expose their lack of contraception and unwillingness to abort. Offering a fresh critical perspective on the links between early childbirth and social inequalities, On Becoming a Teen Mom demonstrates how the intersecting hierarchies of gender, race, and social class shape the personal stories of young mothers"--Provided by publisher.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>In 2013, New York City launched a public education campaign with posters of frowning or crying children saying such things as "I'm twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen" and "Honestly, Mom, chances are he won't stay with you." Campaigns like this support a public narrative that portrays teen mothers as threatening the moral order, bankrupting state coffers, and causing high rates of poverty, incarceration, and school dropout. These efforts demonize teen mothers but tell us nothing about their lives before they became pregnant.<br /><br />In this myth-shattering book, the authors tell the life stories of 108 brown, white, and black teen mothers, exposing the problems in their lives often overlooked in pregnancy prevention campaigns. Some stories are tragic and painful, marked by sexual abuse, partner violence, and school failure. Others depict "girl next door" characters whose unintended pregnancies lay bare insidious gender disparities. Offering a fresh perspective on the links between teen births and social inequalities, this book demonstrates how the intersecting hierarchies of gender, race, and class shape the biographies of young mothers.<p/><br></br><p><b> From the Back Cover </b></p></br></br>"An illuminating, inspiring, often heartbreaking investigation into the lifeworlds of teenage moms. The authors bypass stale moral panic agendas, instead creating space for the young women to speak their own truths, in their own words, while skillfully answering the forgotten question, who are these kids?"--Donna Gaines, author of <i>Teenage Wasteland </i>and <i>A Misfit's Manifesto</i> <p/> "A revealing exploration of the complex reality and surprising diversity behind the stereotypes of teen motherhood. Mary Patrice Erdmans and Timothy Black combine personal life histories with rigorous argument to show how teen pregnancy in America is the outcome rather than the cause of impoverished neighborhoods, stressed families, and educational inequities."--Stephanie Coontz, author of <i>The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap</i> <p/> "<i>On Becoming a Teen Mom</i> is a welcome counterweight to reductionist and pathologizing accounts of adolescent mothers. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to get beyond pearl-clutching and move toward supporting pregnant and parenting teenagers."--Jeanne Flavin, author of <i>Our Bodies, Our Crimes: The Policing of Women's Reproduction in America</i> <p/> "<i>On Becoming a Teen Mom</i> offers one of the deepest investigations into teen pregnancy that I have seen. Until we begin to address issues systemically, the 'problem' of teen pregnancy and the real problems young mothers face will not go away. This book is a significant and important contribution toward that effort."--Wanda S. Pillow, author of <i>Unfit Subjects: Education Policy and the Teen Mother, 1972-2002</i> <p/> "By interpreting common themes in the life histories of the many teen mothers they interviewed, these authors question the assumption that their futures were completely promising before they became young mothers, or that their early motherhood compromised their futures any further. We need to listen to these young women, and policy targets need to be earlier, broader, and deeper than individual sexual, contraceptive, or pregnancy behavior alone."--Arline T. Geronimus, Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University <p/> "<i>On Becoming a Teen Mom</i> powerfully reminds us that any serious discussion of the causes and consequences of teen motherhood is incomplete if it fails to account for the larger social forces at play in girls' lives."--Lorena Garcia, Associate Professor of Sociology and Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago <p/> "The writing pulled me in--accessible, serious, straightforward. Once I started reading, I couldn't put down this compelling and disturbing book on the tragedy that is structural inequality."--Alisse Waterston, author of <i>My Father's Wars: Migration, Memory, and the Violence of a Century</i> <p/> "While the statistics about teen pregnancy tell one story, this book tells compelling stories about the multi-challenged lives of teen mothers. Mary Patrice Erdmans and Timothy Black have made a major contribution to the understanding of the intersection of teen pregnancy, family and community violence, and poverty in the United States. The voices of these teen mothers need to be heard."--John M. Leventhal, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"Informative . . . the book reveals the important role of research in understanding phenomena that people believe they already understand, and how empirically based findings can make a difference."-- "Adolescent Research Review" (6/27/2016 12:00:00 AM)<br><br>"... first-rate, illuminating... <i>On Becoming a Teen Mom</i> examines the lives of teen mothers prior to pregnancy... [and] analyzes the factors and circumstances that contribute to unmarried young women having babies..."--Ruth Sidel "Women's Review of Books" (5/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)<br><br>"Written in accessible language and full of rich interviews and personal narratives . . . A valuable addition to sociology and gender collections."--Y. Besen-Cassino "CHOICE" (7/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Mary Patrice Erdmans</b> is Associate Professor of Sociology at Case Western Reserve University. She is the author of <i>The Grasinski Girls: The Choices They Had and the Choices They Made.</i> <p/><b>Timothy Black</b> is Associate Professor of Sociology at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of <i>When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets.</i>
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