The Epidemic: The Rot of American Culture, Absentee and Permissive Parenting, and the Resultant Plague of Joyless, Selfish Children

The Epidemic: The Rot of American Culture, Absentee and Permissive Parenting, and the Resultant Plague of Joyless, Selfish Children
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Black and White

Have the negative reviewers even read this book?

Responsibility is a must - great read!

Worth reading

Worth Reading

The Epidemic: The Rot of American Culture, Absentee and Permissive Parenting, and the Resultant Plague of Joyless, Selfish Children
Robert Shaw
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Marriage & Family | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 006001184X
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Book Description

From an esteemed child psychiatrist: a bold, fresh, and controversial look at the faddish child–rearing practices that have created a nation of children who are depressed, alienated, often amoral, and all too often violent. The shock of the Columbine shootings and other school violence has generated a national debate, and there's a dawning realization that something incomprehensible is happening: our privileged, pampered children are turning into monsters at an alarming rate.

With years of study and first–hand experience, Dr. Robert Shaw exposes the roots of what he calls The Epidemic: the violence and the more subtle behaviour problems that are jeopardizing a generation. In this eye–opening book, Dr. Shaw explains that the "advanced" parenting methods experts have promoted for the last thirty years have helped to create a nation of children who are detached loners, unable to form meaningful relationships. From infancy through the teen years, Dr. Shaw provides a map back to sanity that tracks specific misguided parenting techniques and shows parents how to get and keep their children on track and create the environment necessary for a healthy psychological future.

Some of the important ground Dr. Shaw covers includes:

o The myths and realities of bonding and attachment

o How to recognize when day care is working – and when it isn't

o Landmarks to look for in your children's moral and ethical development

o Self–centeredness versus self–esteem

o Keeping the media from mugging your child

o What can be done with a child who is out of control

Dr. Shaw challenges us to confront a very real problem, then helps us take steps forward using common sense and humanity. The Epidemic calls us to become better parents––and feel better about the choices we make for our children.

Customer Reviews:

Black and White.......2007-09-25

As a single mother with two small children and some very big questions, I found some reassurance reading this book. Like the cover I did find the author uncomfortable with the gray that makes up most of our lives! Of course one should have our partners vetted before taking a stroll down the aisle and certainly prior to creating a living partnership but reality is, if we knew so much ahead, would we dare enter any relationship.

What happened to my journey into motherhood, was a fast slide down the years to my early upbringing and that was something I was NOT expecting. Thus many many books later, some questions have been answered and along those lines, this book does do an excellent job, of reminding one of the higher road that is to be taken during parenthood. This road is as the author points out, a hard uphill slog against the stream of survival in the competitive world we live.

Have the negative reviewers even read this book?.......2007-07-10

I recently read this book and found it to be both relieving and empowering. I could fill a library with the books I've bought about babies and raising children, but this is one of the ONLY books I've read that really tells you to trust your own instincts and to feel confident in being a real parent. You know, the kind whose job it is to both nurture and love their children AND to teach them structure, limits, independence and consequences. Until now, I would have sworn that every other book I've read said the two were independent of one another!

I was baffled to see other reviewers write things like Dr Shaw doesn't promote breastfeeding or completely misconstruing his advice regarding "on demand" feedings, potty training, etc. For instance, he clearly states that breastfeeding is best UNLESS it is making you miserable, your baby miserable and it just isn't working for you.

Of course, if you can't stand the thought of your child ever crying, being mad at you, disagreeing with you or not having their own way, then this book isn't for you. But if you would like to find a way to teach your children how to be fulfilled and get along in both a family and a civilized world, then please read it! And after all, nothing good ever comes easy, does it?

Responsibility is a must - great read!.......2007-03-18

I thought this book pretty much spelled it out. Yes it has information that is common sense, but then common sense is not common. I appreciated the book stating that responsibility is important as well as good decision making and today kids are not given this at a young enough age to work through poor decisions and lagging responsibility. Learning throughout your childhood to improve decision making and take on responsibility - is accomplished through active parenting. Parents need to parent and friends are peers. The world is tough enough as it is and to go out in the world totally unprepared is not going to make life - any life easier!

Worth reading.......2007-01-25

I thought this book was very refreshing. As a mother of two young children (2 years and 11 mos) I am so SICK of the 'experts' who tell us how to raise our children. Most new mothers are so overwhelmed with information that they are left completely helpless when the time comes to actually get down to business of being a parent. I know this because I felt this way when my first son was born.

Thankfully I realized I needed to toss out all the idiot baby books (yeah, I'm talking about Dr. Sears) and trust my own judgement. I have two wonderful boys who are healthy, sweet, and happy. I'm not so cavalier to think that 'attachment parenting' doesn't work for some families, but it was destroying mine. You really need to decide what works for you and your child's temperment.

Worth Reading.......2006-10-08

Although this book is not in full agreement with the Bible, my Christian brothers and sisters, it is good in that many of the things the author says confirms the truths of Scripture. It's also good evidence that non-Christians are able to recognize major things which Scripture says is true without having to have had their heart changed by God, and therefore are without excuse when they disobey him.

Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women

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Healing is needed
It broke my heart
It Can Be True...
A must-read for African Americans of both genders
anti-feminist, overstated claptrap......from a sista!

Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?: The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Women
Jonetta Rose Barras
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Longing for Daddy: Healing from the Pain of an Absent or Emotionally Distant Father
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ASIN: 0345434838
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Passionate and provocative, Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl? explores the impact of fatherlessness on black women from a thoughtful and highly personal perspective. A woman who has herself "lost" three fathers, Jonetta Rose Barras interweaves her own experience of the "fatherless woman syndrome" with those of other fatherless black women, observations by psychologists and sociologists, and research findings. Barras concludes that factors such as the shift to a service economy, the "gender war of the 1970s through the 1990s," and affirmative action and quota policies caused black men to be "kicked to the curbside." Consequently, many black men began to perceive themselves as superfluous to their families, and by 1996, 60 percent of all black children were living in fatherless homes.

While some attention has been given to the impact of fatherlessness upon sons, Barras notes that very little has been paid to the effect on daughters. She powerfully shows the seriousness of this oversight, arguing that fatherless daughters often believe themselves unworthy and unlovable; strongly fear abandonment, rejection, and commitment; possess strong aversions to intimacy or, conversely, act promiscuously; overcompensate in work and relationships or oversaturate with food, alcohol, sex, or drugs; and experience extreme anger, rage, and/or depression. Barras offers suggestions to begin the healing process (on several fronts, for she is concerned too with the related issues of daughterless fathers and broken maternal trust). Perhaps one of the most important means of healing (both individually and societally) is the conversation Barras opens with this significant work. --Stephanie Wickersham

Book Description

What happens to a little girl who grows up without a father? Can she ever feel truly loved and fully alive? Does she ever heal--or is she doomed to live a wounded, fragmented life and to pass her wounds down to her own children? Fatherlessness afflicts nearly half the households in America, and it has reached epidemic proportions in the African-American community, with especially devastating consequences for black women. In this powerful book, accomplished journalist Jonetta Rose Barras breaks the code of silence and gives voice to the experiences of America's fatherless women--starting with herself.

Passionate and shockingly frank, Whatever Happened to Daddy's Little Girl? is the first book to explore the plight of America's fatherless daughters from the unique perspective of the African-American community. This brilliant volume gives all fatherless daughters the knowledge that they are not alone and the courage to overcome the hidden pain they have suffered for so long.

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What happens to a little girl who grows up without a father? Can she ever feel truly loved and fully alive? Fatherlessness afflicts nearly half the households in America, and it has reached epidemic proportions in the African American community. Jonetta Rose Barras knows from personal experience the traps and the fury of being a black fatherless daughter, and she makes her own life story the heart and soul of her book, alternating chapters of spellbinding memoir with the stories she has gathered from women all over the country.

In this groundbreaking volume, Barras identifies the "fatherless woman syndrome" and discusses the research that confirms that fatherless daughters are far more likely to suffer from debilitating rage, depression, abuse, and addictions, they tend to seek "sexual healing" through promiscuity or anti-intimate behavior and often end up fearing or despising the men whose love they crave.

Passionate and shockingly frank, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL? is the first book to explore the plight of the African American community's fatherless daughters. Like Hope Edelman's New York Times bestseller Motherless Daughters, this brilliant volume gives fatherless daughters the knowledge that they are not alone and the courage to overcome their hidden pain.

Customer Reviews:

Healing is needed.......2007-02-03

I am so pleased to write this review. I read this book several years ago, but continued to deny that this girl couldn't possibly be me. Well it is a cold day when you look in the mirror and see your reflection clearly. I am so thankful for the honest account provided by Jonetta Barras. Ladies please realize you have to heal to move on. When you continue to cover hurt and pain the situation only gets worse. Choose healing, forgiveness, and love. Soon you will realize that uncovering the layers of pain truly does reveal the real you. As black women we have so many burdens to bear, and father loss and absence is real and it impacts us in many ways. Let's finally stand up united take the hand of another sister so that we may all heal together.
Be Blessed........

It broke my heart.......2006-02-15

I spent a lot of time in tears while reading this book. It allowed me to really look at my own interactions with men and how terribly I was impacted when my father abandoned the family. I recommend it to all women and men who are considering breaking up. My hope is that it reminds them of the real damage they can do when one partner demonizes the other and seeks to drive them from thier daughter's life.

It Can Be True..........2005-09-30

Reading this book was a very startling experience for me. There were many passages that I personally related to, but there were others that did not apply. I gained a lot of understanding about just how grave and deep a mark not having a father can be, even if you have already resolved that there will never be a relationship. However, I can see how some would take offense to the implication that black women must overcome damage done by absent fathers as opposed to black men taking the responsibility to raise their daughters/children. Bottom line - in a perfect world, people who commit wrongdoing against others would be strictly accountable and make amends. But in THIS world, right or wronged, you must often find a way to piece things back together that you did not break. For the careful and reflective reader, this book can provide some insight into doing such, but only for those who can identify with the author's viewpoint. Not everyone has the responses she details and to another reviewer's credit, some of the contents of this book could be used to put down black women through "blaming the victim," but if you've truly experienced being a fatherless black woman in this American culture, it's not a concept you're unfamiliar with and you can find a way to work through it.

A must-read for African Americans of both genders.......2005-04-06

I was moved to seek out this book when, during a black male discussion group session, it dawned on me that nearly every woman in my immediate family had either poor or non-existent relationships with their biological fathers, whether due to divorce, premature death, substance abuse, lack of marital connection to the mother or other causes. This includes my mother, two sisters, two sisters-in-law, three maternal aunts, former wife, current wife and two of my three daughters. Nearly all of them have exhibited the life-choices and behavior patterns identified in Barras' book. As Barras' book illustrates, the implications of this echo beyond isolated, individual women and are clearly multigenerational, affecting black men as well. I found Barras' book to be eyeopening and extremely helpful to me as a son, brother, husband and father seeking to better understand and relate to the women in my life. With all due respect to Mr. Mingo's less-than-glowing review (I, too, am a journalist; the last time I checked, it was a professional, not amateur, pursuit), Barras' insights, observations and personal experiences combine to make an eminently credible and thought-provoking book, with practical, realistic solutions for our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. I bought copies for several women in my family. All did not choose to read them; those who did benefitted immensely and recommended the book to others. A great companion book to this is "More Than Sex: Reinventing the Black Male Image" by Dr. George Edmond Smith.

anti-feminist, overstated claptrap......from a sista!.......2002-09-30

This is another example of what happens when good articles are extended into poor booklength works. The author's mother said the author's father forced her through a glass window once and yet the author blames her mother and all women with a backbone on fatherlessness in Black America. Daniel Moynihan's 1965 report on the Black family has been attacked by African-American thinkers of both genders, yet Barras hardly sees a problem with it. This book does nothing but blame women for being victims. Like all conservative rants, it blames feminists, rather than sexism for the problems that women have. This could have been an exciting, thoughtful book; instead, the author speaks in hyperbole and sees no problem with being ridiculously one-sided. Further, she's a journalist, not an academic or an author. Thus, not only should the book be seen as amateur, but it's written in an allegorical style that I found silly. This book should not be embraced by the African-American community. As a pro-feminist brotha, I can't understand why a sista would created this misogynistic tool to harm Black single mothers and womanists throughout the nation.

Prodigal Father : Reuniting Fathers and Their Children

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A Must Read for Anyone, Male or Female, Father, Mother or Child, of a Broken Home
A must read for all divorced parents
A child is entilted to have a relationship with his father
I hope to apply its principles
The finest & hardest soul searching trip ever.

Prodigal Father : Reuniting Fathers and Their Children
Mark Bryan
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0609802038
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Amazon.com

Given our cultural blinders, it's easy to forget that fathering is just as challenging and rewarding as mothering. The trials and triumphs of single mothers especially have received a great deal of attention. But what about men who have had to leave their children behind? With no space to grieve, no way to recover their soul or regroup the fragments of their lives, absent fathers often spiral into years of inaction, leaving themselves and their children disconnected and in need. Mark Bryan, director of the Father Project in Massachusetts, recognizes this need (having experienced it himself), and wrote The Prodigal Father out of concern for the effects of the damaged parental relationship on both parties involved. Bryan shares his heart-wrenching story of abandoning, and then reuniting with, his own son, as well as the stories of many other men who have each endured heartbreak and struggle to regain a role in their children's lives. As coauthor of The Artist's Way, Bryan knows how to bridge the gap between self-help advice and practical action. Each chapter contains specific exercises and activities designed to move dads closer to their kids; aerobic physical activity, silence, and writing all have a place. There's no sugar coating--prodigal fathers must work prodigiously to rediscover their children. The rewards, though, as delightfully described herein, beat winning the lottery. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

In The Prodigal Father, Mark Bryan addresses this important social issue by offering a proven program to help fathers assume a vital role in their children's lives. "Through my work and my own experience as an absent father, I've come to realize that what we call 'deadbeat dads' are actually broken-hearted dads," says Bryan. "Living in shame and denial about the pain of their loss (even when they were the ones who decided to give up their kids), these men feel hopeless and overwhelmed at the thought of attempting a reunion."

Mark Bryan knows the problems of men who are divorced and don't see their kids as often as they would like, as well as those of the men who have totally lost touch with their children. He knows the guilt and shame they feel, the pangs at holiday times, the wrench when a father is alone and sees other fathers playing with their kids, taking them to school, waiting with them in the line at McDonald's. He knows how fathers wonder how they got "out of the picture," how they became "extraneous." He also knows that kids miss their fathers as much as their fathers miss them. He knows this because he is a reunited father himself, and because he has reunited many fathers with their children through his Father Project workshops. Bryan tells many of their stories, and his own, in this book. In The Prodigal Father, Bryan recounts, in detail, the steps he took that led finally to the close relationship that he and his son Scott now enjoy.

More recently, working with small groups of men around the country, Bryan developed an eight-step program to lead men from estrangement to reunion. Many men who never expected to see their children again now see them regularly, participate in decisions in their day-to-day lives, and enjoy the richness and joy only children can provide. Bryan's carefully conceived plan helps men negotiate the sensitive and potentially explosive path back.

It includes:

Acknowledging the loss and the pain

Taking steps to regain self-respect and become the man you'd want to father your children

Making amends to your child's mother

Planning the meeting with your child

Reuniting

Recognizing the specific needs of your child at each age

Establishing an ongoing relationship; becoming close

Embracing your child's extended family; the stepfather and half sisters and brothers.


A special chapter is addressed to mothers, urging them to help in the reunion process. Bryan's message will bring hope and happiness not only to the men who find their way back, but to their children, so often silent about their deep grief over the separation, and to the mothers long overburdened by the responsibilities of single parenthood.

Says Bryan: "I will be touring to more than twenty cities to get the message of Reunion for Fathers across.  Will you help me reach those millions of fathers and mothers whose distance keeps their children from knowing their fathers?  Will you help those 21 million children who never see their fathers live fuller lives and gain a love they so fervently need?  I am asking your help to bring this message to your audience. For this is not just a book. It is a mission."

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read for Anyone, Male or Female, Father, Mother or Child, of a Broken Home.......2005-11-13

This is not just a book for fathers, or mothers, but also for the children of a prodigal parent. It explains why paying child support is so important, no matter what it's used for. It explains how important fathers are, even bad fathers. It will open your heart.

A must read for all divorced parents.......2004-03-30

After I read this book I did not feel so alone. Society as a whole has always been in favor of the mothers in a divorce. The pain I have felt not having my son in my life hurts like no pain I have had before. The ache never goes away.

A child is entilted to have a relationship with his father.......2000-04-27

I knew about the book from the Oprah show and I ordered straight after the show. It took a while because I live in the UK.

The book speaks to both parents, whether absent or otherwise. Reading through the pages, I realised how certain actions of parents can totally damage a child. Though my kids father never paid any maintenance, I did not stop him from seeing them. Most of my friends and even family thought this was foolish of me. Reading the book has therefore reinforced what I thought all along. I am so glad I bought it and I have since shared it with friends in similar situations. Mark Bryan's book even inspired me to write a song about the relationship between a father and child and how a child truly feels about the absent parent!

I hope to apply its principles.......1999-08-30

I first saw this book in the parenting section of the children's section of the library. The title intrigued me so I decided to skim through it. Besides his own testimony of reuniting with a son after 14 years and of helping others fathers to reunite, I realized this wasn't another book written by someone who wants you easily to do what they've never had to do.

I even skimmed through the section for mothers because I'm the single mother of a 3 year old. I didn't have my usual "Yeah, right" bitter reaction and actually felt like crying and calling my daughter's father right away to start the process.

Without the testimonials in this book, I would have accepted that her father being in her life was not only improbable, but impossible and would have lived my life accordingly. After just reading a few chapters, I really wanted to do all that I could to start a relationship between my daughter and her father. I really began to believe it could happen. After I get the book from the library, I hope to apply its principles. I'm glad all the other reviewers enjoyed it as well.

The finest & hardest soul searching trip ever........1999-07-14

I recently heard Mark Bryan speak at the NACSDC @ the Univ. Notre Dame. I cried through his entire presentation. There are too many parallels to mention. I bought two copies of his book. One I read. One I gave to my daughter who is a single mom and in reunion (without this book) with her child's father. They now have the book, each has read some of it. They are still talking. My book will remain with me. I will be buying another copy so that I can write a letter to my childrens father. Maybe then they will find thier way back to each other. I never understood until I read about the haunting. Thank you Mark!

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Anglo-Irish Look at Ireland
The Prominent Son

The Absentee (Penguin Classics)
Maria Edgeworth , and Heidi Thomson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140436456

Book Description

Title refers to Irish landlords in England, circa 1800.

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Title refers to Irish landlords in England, circa 1800.

Customer Reviews:

Anglo-Irish Look at Ireland.......2006-07-10

Too often remembered solely as a British author, Maria Edgeworth's "The Absentee" provides a wonderful depiction of Ireland during the height of England's attempts to colonize Ireland through plantations. The historical problem with these estates was the often absence of the Lord. Edgeworth's novel reveals her Anglo-Irish stature. It depicts the Irish as either primitive and lacking ethics or as child-like and pure. Both of these reflect England's propaganda that was paired with the attempts at colonization.
Edgeworth's style reminds me very much of Jane Austen in that she focuses on the manners of the characters. In many ways, the characters resemble Austen's. The way Edgeworth depicts the individuals of Ireland, the way she represents the different class distinctions through the use of syntax and accents is deft. Edgeworth's novel is an invaluable tool for experiencing Ireland during its period of colonization. It combines the political, religious and economic aspects of Ireland. "The Absentee" demands an understanding of Irish history. It is a superb novel and highly enriching for anyone seeking a greater knowledge of Ireland.

The Prominent Son.......2003-10-12

Duty, Loyalty, and Honor is the foremost part on his mind for our hero, Lord Colambre. To resolve his parents financial troubles and follies in London, he venture back to his homeland, Ireland, in disguise to investigate the agents who are governing his father's estate. Witnessing the corruption but also the beauty, he determine to bring those corrupter to justice and hope to stay in Ireland. And of course, there is a romance, but as you all know the hero always get his girl.

Fathering at Risk: Helping Nonresidential Fathers

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Fathering at Risk: Helping Nonresidential Fathers
James R. Dudley , and Glenn Stone
Manufacturer: Springer Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social Work | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0826114180

Book Description

The decline of fatherhood is one of the most serious problems currently facing our society. While in 1960 both fathers and mothers were present in the same household in almost 81 percent of family households, by 2000 both biological parents were present in only 55 percent of family households. Unfortunately, this negative trend has continued into the new century.

FATHERING AT RISK is an in-depth and informative examination of three groups of nonresidential fathers - teen fathers, older unmarried fathers, and divorced fathers - emphasizing the importance of a father's presence in a child's life, and concentrating on what society can do to reverse the dangerous trend toward absentee fathers. Moving beyond the realm of theory, the authors present a number of practical programs and strategies that have been successful in helping fathers from the three groups. These include specific plans that involve teenage fathers with their children, family-sensitive employment policies, new approaches for helping unmarried nonresidential fathers maintain contact with their sons and daughters, mediation to resolve parental conflicts, preparation for co-parenting, and alternatives to welfare.

Divided into four parts, the first examines the problem of absentee fathers and why it exists. Part 2 offers perspectives and strategies for promoting effective fathering. Part 3 covers practical advice for counseling fathers at risk, and part 4 provides a discussion of social policy initiatives and a host of supportive programs.

Case studies, helpful questions to consider, and appendix that offers a list of fathers' organizations and Web sites to assist readers, and numerous references for further reading combine to make this thoroughly researched and forward-looking discussion an excellent resource for everyone concerned with the plight of today's families.

Absentee and Early Voting
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A Thoughtful Criticism of Efforts to Expand Absentee Voting

A cutting-edge study as accessible to lay readers as it is to scholars

Good information on the way we have voted in the past, how we do it today, and what current trends say about the future.

Absentee and Early Voting
John C. Fortier
Manufacturer: AEI Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Elections | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0844742473

Book Description

Documents the dramatic increase in absentee voting and, more recently, the meteoric rise in early voting. Fortier examines the legal and historical reasons for changes in the voting system and the many differences across states and offers his thoughts about what the changes have meant for the country and where we should go from here.

Customer Reviews:

A Thoughtful Criticism of Efforts to Expand Absentee Voting.......2007-06-02

The author of this book is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he serves as the principal contributor to the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. The list of AEI fellows, posted at the back of this 2006 book, included former President Gerald Ford, Lynne V. Cheney, the wife of the Vice-President, two 2008 potential Republican Presidential candidates--Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson--and numerous veterans of Republican Presidential elections.

The author admirably does a superb job of research. Getting data from 50 states and the federal government, he notices gaps and differences in terminology and--rare among researchers--he follows up and fills the gaps and reclassifies the information according to national criteria. In doing so, he provides an excellent model of how national state by state research should work.

The author worries as he documents the increasing trend away from a single voting day and toward increasing use of absentee ballots and early voting. It started with the no-excuses absentee balloting law passed in California in 1978, and it reached its point with Oregon's universal vote by mail plan passed in 1998. Many states have been unaffected or only modestly affected by this trend, my state of Pennsylvania among them, but he warns that the genie can not be put into the bottle and the trend is gathering steam as sthe reform-friendly states are being held up by some as national models.

The author prefers early voting to no-excuses absentee voting. Under early voting, polling places are set up to cover areas much larger than a single precinct before the election at places which attract a large amount of traffic, such as governmental offices and shopping centers. Early voters share in common with regular voters an ability to get to polling places; early voting works best for voters who have no mobility problems but suffer from time constraints on election day.

No-excuses absentee voting, however, allows people with mobility problems a better opportunity to participate. These people tend to be elderly, disabled, low-income and housebound due to duties to take care of children or elderly parents.

The author rightly worries about the integrity of absentee ballots, noting the possibilities of fraud, coercion, or just a desire to please someone else by letting the other person (a more politically concerned spouse, a party worker, a neighbor, a co-worker, etc.) fill out the ballot. He expresses legitimate concerns about the erosion of voter privacy by absentee ballots, and wisely suggests machine readable signature checks as a safeguard. He also notes that directly mailing the ballots to all voters, as Oregon does, removes the opportunity for manipulation of the ballot request process by party workers or others. Certainly, those who work to expand absentee voting should work to devise safeguards to minimize the possibility for fraud or distortion of any voter's viewpoint.

The author helpfully provides charts classifying states by the systems they use. The results of these charts, however, hint at the possibility of a partisan interest. The five states which only allow early voting, the author's preferred reform--Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia--all went for President Bush in the 2000 and 2004 elections.

Of those 11 states with high absentee voting, however, seven--Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington--went against President Bush at least once, and further, two of the four remaining states--Alaska and Montana--had significant Democratic gains in 2006.

Similarly, four of the nine states with a mix of high absentee and early voting--Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, and New Mexico went against President Bush at least once, and a fifth state--Colorado--scored Democratic gains in 2006.

The low-absentee states are generally the older states. They split 12 to 9 for Bush in 2000, and 11 to 10 for Bush in 2004.

The author does not mention the partisan implications of his recommendations, leaving it to well-informed readers to figure them out. I personally believe it would have been more credible to openly discuss it, but I can understand the case for leaving that discussion to others.

Beyond partisan concerns lie other questions. The author professes admiration for the civic involvement of bringing people together on election days, but dismisses the civic involvement of workers engaging in one to one discussions with voters about absentee ballots. This reviewer believes he is the missing the boat here.

Further and of fundamental importance, the author simply does not address the issue of why people with mobility problems should not be aided to vote. A greater use of absentee ballots is required to help these people, and more days for going to polling places simply does not solve the problem of voting access for people who cannot get to polling polling places without a lot of pain or a lot of inconvenience whenever the polling places are open.

Although I quarrel with the author's apparent blind spots, he is to be commended for putting together a compilation of state and national research that materially moves forward the discussion of how voting should be expanded. Advocates for the elderly, the disabled, the low income and the low-mobility folks in general, however, will need to rely on other works to gain support for the full enfranchisement of these under-represented groups.

A cutting-edge study as accessible to lay readers as it is to scholars.......2007-03-06

Written by American Enterprise Institute research fellow John C. Fortier, Absentee and Early Voting: Trends, Promises, and Perils is examines how nearly a quarter of Americans today vote before election day, either through absentee ballot or early voting places. Absentee and Early voting questions whether or not the convenience of these practices has undermined the integrity of the process and weakened a unifying civic experience. Exploring the legal and historical reasons for alterations in the voting system, as well as the many variations across states, Absentee and Early Voting offers measured, rational conclusions about that changes in the system have meant for the nation across the decades, how America can better protect itself against voter fraud, and what should be America's next step. A cutting-edge study as accessible to lay readers as it is to scholars, Absentee and Early Voting is enthusiastically recommended for political science library and reference shelves.

Good information on the way we have voted in the past, how we do it today, and what current trends say about the future........2006-11-03

This study of the rise of absentee and early voting is quite informative. There is more information here about the numbers of votes cast by traditional, early, and absentee methods in each state than I have ever seen. The author admits that some of this data had to be estimated because not all the states collect the information precisely.

John C. Fortier is a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and is the principal contributor to the election reform project the AEI has with Brookings. While I have a number of civic, logistical, security, integrity, and timing issues with the large us of voting in anyplace than the traditional voting booth on a single election day, I recognize that my view is in the minority and dwindling at that.

I did live in Australia for two years from 1973-75 and saw their universal vote-by-mail system. There and then, if you were of age you faced a fine if you did not return a signed ballot on time. You could vote for Mickey Mouse, but you had to vote. Of course, theirs is a parliamentary system with most of the focus being on electing the local MPs from among a myriad of parties. There are two big parties there, and in those days both were leftish and really left. But their country is larger than the continental United States with something like one tenth of our population (or less). Going to polling places there is simply not practical because so many voters live in amazingly remote areas.

As the author recounts the history of absentee voting to accommodate soldiers during the Civil War and traveling businessmen, he also notes how small a percentage of the electorate this was. It was more symbolic of enfranchisement and civic duty than anything more than a marginal impact on the number of votes cast.

We are then taken through the rise of absentee and early voting. This rapid growth really begins in the 1970s. It first began with the notion that it would expand the participation of more eligible voters, but has proven to be more about convenience than getting new voters. There is some evidence of retaining sometime voters as more regular voters.

However, early voting has proven popular and the percentage of ballots being cast absentee is rising significantly in recent years. Fortier does take us through the pitfalls, but does not provide detailed anecdotes of the problems. He assures us that the problems, while serious to the integrity and confidence of voters in their system, are not significant in number. I am not so sanguine. We have had a great deal of evidence that when third parties get involved in "assisting" in registrations and the handling of ballots that corruption occurs. We get dead people voting, Alzheimer patients voting, and the potential exists in some situations for voting more than once - absentee and at the polling place.

The author offers some general recommendations that emphasize more the early voting, but tightening it up as far as security and in time frame (no more than ten days). For places like Oregon that have gone to 100% voting by mail there is no going back, but there are additional security tools they can add.

This is a good and informative piece. I don't think Fortier goes far enough in exposing the voter fraud that exists today, but I suppose that isn't really the focus of this book.

Recommended to all who are interested in the integrity of our voting process and how it is changing in recent years.

Live-away Dads: Staying a Part of Your Children's Lives When They Aren't a Part of Your Home

Average customer rating:

Great Reading
a woman's view
AN OUTSTANDING COMMONSENSE APPROACH

Live-away Dads: Staying a Part of Your Children's Lives When They Aren't a Part of Your Home
William C. Klatte
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Single Parents | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

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ASIN: 0140272801

Book Description

Written by a veteran social worker, therapist, and men's counselor who has spent many years as a live-away dad himself, Live-Away Dads is a practical and encouraging guide for fathers who want to make the best of their relationships with their children after a divorce or breakup.

From his personal and professional experience, especially his years as a custody advisor to the Wisconsin courts, William C. Klatte is highly attuned to the special struggle of non-custodial fathers. He shows how emotions--especially anger, depression, and feelings of powerlessness--often control men's behavior with former partners and others, and he guides fathers in acknowledging and expressing anger more effectively. With guidance on dealing with the courts, working out visitation, communicating with the children's mother, creating a child-friendly home, and much more, Klatte helps live-away dads through the toughest challenge of living away ftom their children. Practical and inspiring, Live-Away Dads will indelibly change for the better the way we approach parenting after divorce.

Customer Reviews:

Great Reading.......2003-04-07

This book has helped me understand the things I am going through, and how to cope with them. I have a hard time not living with my daughter, but this book makes it easier. It is not a quick fix it...but this book will show the ways of the "hows and whys" of what you are feeling and dealing with.

a woman's view.......1999-10-13

I am writing to say that I am divorced woman and that this book has helped me and my ex-husband deal with our seperation and helped us to better parent our children in seperate homes. It is a excellent book with loads of useful parenting techniques in this difficult situation. Not written for just the live-away dad, but for the ENTIRE family. EXCELLENT

AN OUTSTANDING COMMONSENSE APPROACH.......1999-08-23

As part of my job as a phone counselor, I often speak to fathers struggling to stay connected with their children after a divorce. I am glad to have this book to recommend. The author has a practical approach to good fathering. His suggestions are direct and reasonable. The book is of great value to parents(mothers as well as fathers) who are not living with their children. It is also a "how-to" manual that can be used by any man who wants to be a better father. The author's emphasis is always on what will best serve the needs of the children involved. I highly recommend the book to counselors who work with parents and, especially, to any father who wants to learn how to excel in his most important role.

Average customer rating:

A touching book - highly recommended !

The Crazy Man
Pamela Porter
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0888996950

Book Description

It is 1965, and 12-year-old Emaline, living on a wheat farm, must deal with a family that is falling apart. When her dog, Prince, chases a hare into the path of the tractor, she chases after him, and her father accidentally runs over her leg, leaving her with a long convalescence and a permanent disability. Even worse, from Emaline’s point of view, is that in his grief and guilt, her father shoots Prince and leaves Emaline and her mother on their own.

Despite the neighbors’ disapproval, Emaline’s mother hires Angus, a patient from the local mental hospital, to work their fields. Angus is a red-haired giant whom the local children tease and call "the gorilla." Though the small town’s prejudice creates a cloud of suspicion around Angus that nearly results in tragedy, he just may hold the key to Emaline's coming to grips with her injury and the loss of her father.

Customer Reviews:

A touching book - highly recommended !.......2006-11-21

This is an excellent book, it gives a thoughtful insight into mental illness. Especially recommended for teens, this book may help with sympathetic understanding through difficult times.

Mothers Who Leave: Behind the Myth of Women Without Their Children

Average customer rating:

One of a kind.

Mothers Who Leave: Behind the Myth of Women Without Their Children
Rosemary Jackson
Manufacturer: Pandora Press (GB)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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ASIN: 0044408994

Customer Reviews:

One of a kind........2000-09-26

Rosemary Jackson's book approaches the difficult and somewhat unusual topic of mother's who are separated from their children from both a personal and philosophical perspective. The author takes the reader through a historical and cultural journey in an effort to understand why it is so difficult for women in this situation. She explains why women who leave their children invoke such extreme reactions, particularly from other mothers. The book is supplemented with vignettes, women who tell their individual stories, each quite different from the other. Even for those readers who find the much of background content somewhat esoteric, they will be moved by the stories of the women, and by the candour of the author in sharing her own story. Definitely a must have for any woman who has, by choice or design , been separated from their children. This book is also highly recommended for students with an interest in women's issues.

Average customer rating:

Parenting Issues for ..........
Important stuff.
Not only for father's in prison
Anyone can learn from this book!
The best self help book I have ever read!

Fathers in Prison
Larry Wolfgang
Manufacturer: Stone Creek Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Book Description

"FATHERS IN PRISON" is the story of incarcerated men and their children. Through powerful stories and the soulful words of incarcerated men, Wolfgang discusses the role of men in our society, the importance of accepting responsibility for our behavior, and the traits of a healthy father. Self-reflection, communication, discipline, anger, shame, intimacy and spirituality are topics covered in this easy to read yet insightful book on parenting.

Customer Reviews:

Parenting Issues for .................2000-01-03

This is the first "Parenting"book I have read, that I understood. The author writes about real issues and real feelings. Listening to the success stories of "Father's in Prison"was inspirational to me. It made me reflect on my own parenting skills. It also made me reflect on my own inward type prison. I felt like I was being set free of feelings of trust, barriers, awareness, hurt, respect, understanding, and spirituality. The author says very strongly that if we LISTEN, TALK, and SHARE with our children they will be OKAY.

Important stuff........1999-11-16

Larry Wolfgang draws from his personal experiences to give us a glimpse into a world few can fully understand - the life of the imprisoned father. With pain and compassion woven throughout, the author points the way to establishing and maintaining our most important relationships. Whether behind bars of steel or those of fear and failure, fathers on both sides of the wall can benefit from Mr. Wolfgang's observations. Highly recommended!

Not only for father's in prison.......1999-08-05

An inspiring read that melts your heart. This book encourages you to evaluate your worth as a person and parent. It makes me want to give a legacy to my children that they will pass to their children. It will break down the bars to intamacy that fear creates. It allows us to love others and see their beauty.

Anyone can learn from this book!.......1999-07-31

This book is about relationships between fathers and their children, but the reason I love it so much is because that is not where it ends. I am a college student, without any ties to prison, yet I have learned a lot about my relationships with my parents and boyfriend through this book. Also, this book has opened my eyes to the harsh realities criminals and their families face everyday. This book contains heartwrenching tales and soulfull words of prisoners, painfull and beautiful poems, and wisdom anyone can benefit from. It is DEFINITELY worth the read!!

The best self help book I have ever read!.......1999-07-18

I loved Larry's book. It invigorated and improved my parenting skills. The passion and joy of helping others is reflected on every page. Hats off to Mr. Wolfgang! My only criticism is the title, which to me seem to narrow the reader's intrest base. This book can enrich everyones life. Repectfully Yours James P Waldron Wilmette,IL. jameswaldron@worldnet.att.net

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