Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage

Book Description

Millie Acevedo bore her first child before the age of 16 and dropped out of high school to care for her newborn. Now 27, she is the unmarried mother of three and is raising her kids in one of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods. Would she and her children be better off if she had waited to have them and had married their father first? Why do so many poor American youth like Millie continue to have children before they can afford to take care of them?
Over a span of five years, sociologists Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas talked in-depth with 162 low-income single moms like Millie to learn how they think about marriage and family. Promises I Can Keep offers an intimate look at what marriage and motherhood mean to these women and provides the most extensive on-the-ground study to date of why they put children before marriage despite the daunting challenges they know lie ahead.

Customer Reviews:

A real Eye Opener.......2007-08-06

I thought this book was an excellent insight into the women of the poor; their values, their reasoning behind their early pregnancies and the world in which they live. It's well written and I would recommend that all mothers, including myself, encourage their young daughters to read this novel. My daughter thought it was a real "eye opener". I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to my friends.

Making sense of teen pregnancy.......2007-05-03

As a physician in an urban health center, I am often frustrated by my patients who are 16, out of school, pregnant and elated. I often probe into the available support for the future child and despite the dismal job prospects, chaotic families and low educational attainment, abortion doesn't seem to be an option. I have been called to task by the patients and their equally young mothers for even mentioning that there may be an option in this situation.

This book through its in depth interviews with poor women gets to the heart of why a pregnancy at 16 though unplanned is often desirable. It answers the questions I have as an upper middle class care provider as to why a moment that would have been devastating for me is seen as an opportunity for them. I can see it will be a valuable resource in interacting with these patients of mine in the future by shedding light on how pregnancy and parenting are not an obstruction to a brighter future but the future itself.

For a less "clinical" assessment of poverty and its effect on the family, I would recommend "Random Family" by Adrien Leblanc. This is another intriguing look at adolescents who also grow up in impoverished environments and the toll it takes on their pregnancies, relationships and families.

EXQUISITE.......2007-04-11

this is such an exquisite study, and is also accessible to non-scholars. i encourage everyone to read this, especially those with preconceived notions about what it means to be an underprivileged single mother.

Why Put Motherhood Before Marriage? .......2006-11-05

Often when the question is posed as to why do poor women continue to have children before they are obviously -at least to the majority of Americans it is obvious-in the most opportune position to accomplish the task of parenting successfully, several common responses are usually offered. The most common retort may be that poor women don't have access to low-cost or free contraception and/or abortion providers, followed by claims that these women are just irresponsible and possess low ( or completely lack) moral values. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, poor women have less access to inexpensive contraceptive supplies and behavior that may be common in the ghettoes of America can be starkly contrasted against what is deemed acceptable in middle and upper-class communities. Yet it turns out that these differences have surprisingly little to do with why poor women consistently put motherhood before marriage.

Sociologists Edin and Kefalas spent 5 years interviewing, studying and interacting with a group consisting of one-hundred and sixty-two women from eight impoverished communities to find the real answer to this perturbing question. Along the way Edin and Kefalas dispell the myths and stereotypes pertaining to poor men and women and their attitudes regarding motherhood and marriage. It turns out that rather than viewing marriage as an inconsequential and outdated institution, the interviewies revered marriage. What the authors discovered was that the women held marriage to such a high-standard and erected so many hurdles to be jumped before they would consider getting married that they effectively placed the hallowed institution outside of their reach in the near future. While the middle and upper-class follow the line of thinking that says "first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage", poor women women more often than not say "first comes infatuation, then comes the baby, then you move in together and plan for the wedding to take place in 5 or 6 years once the two of you are satisfied that you really know each other". Many of the things that these single-mothers say and do appear inexplicably contradictory, and at times, almost absurd. Yet to the women it all makes perfect sense. This book has numerous examples of "you have to read it to believe it" moments: for instance, there are the single mothers of two or three children who say that they don't want to get married just yet because marriage is such "hard work," as if raising several children in the heart of the ghetto while seemingly mired in abject poverty is a far easier task.

The differences between the attitudes and behavior of poor and upper-class women is as stark as night and day when it comes to marriage and motherhood. Anyone genuinely interested in exploring these differences and crafting real responses to teen pregnancy and the high rates of out-of-wedlock childbearing in ostensibly dire circumstances should begin their exploration by reading this book.

A very good read........2005-11-24

Even though I don't have any kids, I always wanted to step inside of the world of single mothers and see what they really go through, and why is it that they put marriage aside. I also notice how single motherhood is on the rise these days. And it is very true that low-income girls and middle-class girls live their lives differently from each other. Not only this is a well-written non-fiction book, but I also think that the two authors did a great job on their research for the book too.

Food, Gender, and Poverty in the Ecuadorian Andes

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Food, Gender, and Poverty in the Ecuadorian Andes
Mary J. Weismantel
Manufacturer: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0812281152

Book Description

We are what we eat: our food defines us as individual women and men, as families and communities, and as members of our race, our class, and our nation. In this book, Mary Weismantel uses four different facets of the social life of food--diet, cuisine, discourse, and practice--to draw a richly detailed and compelling portrait of one South American community during the 1980s. The foods eaten in Zumbagua, an indigenous parish of highland Ecuador, are key to understanding what holds this distinctive people together in the face of tremendous economic and cultural challenges, as well as what divides them. The detailed discussion of diet is surprisingly revealing. Ancient histories emerge from the origins of staple crops like barley and potatoes, while recent trends, such as the substitution of purchased candies and colas for too-expensive fruits and vegetables, expose an ongoing ecological and economic crisis. In her discussion of cuisine--the cultural rules by which foods become meals--Weismantel shows how the everyday work of women preparing food transforms a mundane physical necessity, into a deeply meaningful symbolic act. Differences between local and national cultures, everyday and special occasions, men and women, adults and children, family and friends are only some of the cultural messages transmitted through snacks and means. Further, this culinary language is a highly expressive political idiom. By analyzing conversations and arguments about food, this book shows how an apparently apolitical community engaged in agonized debates about survival in the face of endemic racism and accelerating poverty. Cooking oil and wild mustard, bread and gruel, white rice and brown barley all appear as highly charged symbols of assimilation or resistance. Lastly, the book moves into the kitchen itself, where kinship, generation and gender shape--and are shaped by--the practical work of feeding the family. Social changes, such as the feminization of agriculture, continually alter labor demands within and outside of the kitchen, creating new tensions and conflicts within the family. By retaining close attention to the food itself as it is prepared and consumed, this book explores these intimate family issues without ever losing sight of the larger forces involved. The kitchen stove is a final nexus between production, exchange, and consumption. In the end, the delicate balance between the labor and products that go out of the house, and the goods that come back in, determines economic survival. And it is by choosing what to allow in and what to exclude, and how to shape the finished product for their own consumption, that the people of Zumbagua exert a precarious cultural autonomy in the face of daunting difficulties. This book is both a richly specific document of their lives, and a significant theoretical statement about the anthropology of food.

Gender and Poverty in the North (Oxfam Focus on Gender Series)

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Gender and Poverty in the North (Oxfam Focus on Gender Series)

Manufacturer: Oxfam Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Unemployment | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0855983930

Book Description

International development policy-makers and practitioners are becoming increasingly involved in debates with governments and NGOs in the industrialized countries of the North, focusing on appropriate methods of understanding and tackling Northern poverty. The articles in this collection examine the phenomenon of the globalization of poverty and unemployment as it relates to gender identity.

Book Description

"To hell with leadership. Where's the growth?" So demands Lew Platt, the former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, in an interview with Venture Catalyst author, Don Laurie. Platt's audacious question captures the essence and spirit of this book-a powerful, eye-opening approach to achieving spectacular corporate growth, regardless of economic boom-or-bust cycles.

Aiming right at the heart of the matter, Laurie reminds us that business leaders are charged with two mission-critical responsibilities: they must meet (or exceed) Wall Street's expectations on a quarterly basis, and they need to foster a steady flow of new technologies and products to fuel continuous double-digit growth, rolling three to five years into the future. The tension between balancing short- and long-term goals often leads companies to play it safe, managing growth with traditional strategies-organic growth through product line extensions and international expansion or acquisition-with lackluster results.

In Venture Catalyst, Don Laurie presents a dynamic alternative, drawing on extensive interviews (with corporate and venture capital pioneers as diverse as Roger Ackerman of Corning, Ralph Larsen of Johnson & Johnson, Tim Haley of Redpoint Ventures, and Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital), in-depth company profiles, and his own expertise as a high-level advisor. From Thermo Electron's launching of technology spinouts to GE Equity's channeling of resources to fund start-ups, Venture Catalyst identifies five key strategies for creating the next billion-dollar business: invent, invest, venture, partner, and integrate. For each strategy, Laurie details the obstacles and advantages, along with the fundamental "preconditions" and "value-added activities" necessary to achieve success.

Reaching far beyond the mechanics of analyzing and implementing ventures, Laurie addresses the cultural issues that can either impede or facilitate the path to wealth creation. He argues that five years from now, nearly half of corporate revenues should come from products and services that don't yet exist and challenges corporate leaders to be aggressive, embrace risk, and mobilize people and resources toward the future. Showing how ventures can maximize intellectual property, stimulate innovation, and identify and enter emerging markets with speed, Laurie builds a compelling case for ventures as creators of shareholder value.

In stark contrast to the mindless frenzy that fueled the dot.com bubble, Venture Catalyst offers a rigorous and field-tested perspective. For executives and managers, venture capitalists and investment bankers, and entrepreneurs alike, this book will become an essential strategic resource.

Customer Reviews:

Venture Strategies to Accelerate Revenue and Profit Growth.......2001-09-24

From 1955 through 1998, only a handful of the largest U.S. companies were able to enjoy compounded double digit growth. These few include 3M, American International Group, Dayton Hudson, Hewlett Packard, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, UPS, and Wal-Mart. For most of those years, inflation was low so double-digit revenue growth meant major expansion in unit volume.

The problem of finding revenue growth has been most severe for the Fortune 50. They have been lucky to match inflation.

Management consultant and early stage investor Donald Laurie argues that a variety of venture-based strategies can perk up the growth rates of even the largest companies. You can invent the next great business (as Thermo Electron and Corning did in the 1990s), invest in the next great business (as Intel Capital and GE Equity did in the latter part of the 1990s), venture the next great business (as Nortel and Advent International), partner in the next great business (as Sperry Marine did with XL Vision), or acquire and integrate the next great business (as Cisco Systems did to build their lead in network architecture). In describing these choices, Mr. Laurie describes a business model as "the way a venture or venture strategy makes money."

The most persuasive example in the book is that of Johnson & Johnson, which has successfully used all of these methods for many years.

Each of the styles of establishing the next great business comes with questions to focus on to help you become effective in these areas. There's a lot of learning and expense involved, so don't look for quick fixes from this direction. I was particularly impressed by the description of how Corning invented its fiber optic business versus how Thermo Electron built its many new technologies. Each used a quite different approach. So, it's clear that there are many viable routes to pursuing these directions. You do, however, have to be sure that you pick one that fits what you can accomplish.

Running ventures and operating existing, profitable businesses are two entirely different activities in time frames, objectives, and focus. Venture Catalyst does a nice job of making that point. In fact, this aspect of the book is a good adjunct to The Innovator's Dilemma.

I must quibble with one aspect of the book. Venture Catalyst makes it all sound reasonably easy to do. My impression is that hardly any large companies have done well with their venture stage investments over the long run. Also, there are dozens of companies who find that their partnerships have severe problems for the few who master doing this well. Often, even those who do it well have a hard time explaining how they make them work. As the Innovator's Dilemma points out, inventing the next great business very rarely occurs from among the industry leaders. On the other hand, a number of people have been successful with acquiring and integrating promising technology-based businesses. But more large companies falter than succeed with this strategy. Clearly, you should carefully choose one area where you should have an above-average rate of success to focus on first. Then, start with small bets while you make your mistakes.

I would have liked to have seen much more information about Johnson & Johnson to help explain their models for venturing. For example, how much of their success is related to the timing of profits and investment in new pharmaceutical products? With the big gushers that come aboard in the first 2-5 years of a new pharmaceutical, it may be that venture funding is easier to afford and be patient with than in companies with more volatility. Ventures often pay off in that industry faster than new pharmaceutical research and development. How can someone go from being used to a quick win to the slow pace of venturing?

I was also surprised to see that the book did not say very much about UPS which has been very active in successfully shifting its business focus in the last ten years to accelerate its revenue growth. That example would have meant even more to me than the one of Johnson & Johnson.

After you finish reading the thinking about the questions raised in this book, consider where most of your growth will come from in the future. If all of your business went away in the five years, how would you double your current revenues and your highest level of profits? Then ask, what's the track record of people like me taking that route? Do you like the odds? If not, you had better find a surer route to future prosperity.

Book Description

This comprehensive volume reviews biological control theory, economic and environmental impacts, and the role of biological control in Integrated Pest Management programs. Seventy-nine case histories illustrate biological control projects for 62 arthropod and 22 weed pests.

Book Description

The book deals with the neural integration of behavioral and physiological aspects of bodily homeostasis viewed from the standpoint of the lower brainstem, particularly the medulla oblongata. An historical framework is maintained. Functions covered include breathing, regulation of arterial pressure and blood flow to the tissues, arousal and nociception, and eating and metabolism. A concluding chapter, devoted to the human, includes an anatomical atlas of the human lower brainstem. Emphasis is placed on anatomically-established neural circuitry rather than on poorly characterized functional centers (e.g., vasomotor centers). Similarly, conventionally recognized neural systems, including the limbic system, the reticular formation and the autonomic nervous system, are shown to be unhelpful as explanatory concepts. The autonomic nervous system, for example, comprises afferent and efferent neurons which connect the brain with the various cardiovascular and visceral structures. It does not function in its own right. Patterns of autonomic discharge originate in the brain. The book stresses the role of the visceral information that reaches the brainstem via afferent components of the lower cranial nerves, including the vagus. Homeostatic functions involve changes in behavior as well as changes in internal physiological functions, an integration achieved by the nervous system functioning as a whole.

The Lower Brainstem and Bodily Homeostasis

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The Lower Brainstem and Bodily Homeostasis
William W. Blessing
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKBRKI

Book Description

Markusen tells tales about the many fascinating teams of one of the most colorful franchises in Major League Baseball, as well as stories about dozens of memorable New York Mets personalities.

Customer Reviews:

Not Enough.......2007-07-19

This book had some good stories and was a quick read, but to barely mention Mike Piazza doesn't make any sense. He was the face of the franchise and led them to the subway series in 2000. The book mentions him in passing and basically notes that he wasn't a good fielder. Strawberry is hardly mentioned as well. It makes no sense.

A Banner Day Read.......2005-04-02

Tales from the Mets Dugout understands the history and hysteria that come with being a Mets fan. The book has some nice but not overused photos and it packs a lot of information in less than 200 pages. Living in the shadow of the monolithic Yankees, Mets fans know they have ruled the city for just a handful of seasons over the last 43. While the next 1969 or 1986 seems a lifetime in the coming, Mets fans can at least embrace a team that's seen more excitement than some franchises have experienced in a century of play. The Mets have never had a no-hitter, but look at the pitchers who came up through the system and tossed them with other teams: David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Mike Scott, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan . . . The Mets drew 700,000 people in 1979, and eight years later were the first New York team to draw 3,000,000 . . . the Mets have won three NL pennants but only one Met has been Championship Series MVP. Obsessing over the Mets for a lifetime, I thought there was nothing I didn't know about the club, but Bruce Markusen came up with new stories and new angles, including several trades that never happened: the Mets almost traded Jerry Koosman for Fred Patek, Tommie Agee almost went to the Red Sox (instead of the Mets) in a deal for Carl Yastrzemski, and the Mets could've had Dickie Thon for Elliott Maddox, but owner Linda de Roulet thought the Angels' top-notch prospect had too much of a baby face! Perhaps the most shocking nugget of all unearthed by Markusen was a telegram from the president of the Yankees congratulating the '69 Mets. The man even said he was rooting for the Mets. Now that's amazin'. The book's pretty good, too.

Amazon.com

Suspense, like other genre fiction, is often assumed to be inferior in quality to more "serious" fiction. A suspense story can be every bit as well-wrought as any other, argues Patricia Highsmith in Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction. To show how, Highsmith focuses as much on her failures as on her successes. Amid discussions about growing ideas, story development, plotting, first and second drafts, and revisions are anecdotes from Highsmith's own career. Highsmith (Strangers on a Train) admits to editing with crayon (doing so "gives one the proper cavalier attitude"), napping on the job (it helps solve problems), and having written one "really dull" book. Though this book is slim, there are some lovely thoughts on such issues as creating a murderer-hero with "pleasant qualities," "stretch[ing] the reader's credulity," and using "as much care in depicting the face and appearance of ... main characters" as a painter would with a portrait. --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

Patricia Highsmith, author of Strangers On a Train, The Talented Mr.Ripley, Found In The Street, and many other books, is known as one of the finest suspense novelists. In this book, she analyzes the key elements of suspense fiction, drawing upon her own experience in four decades as a working writer. She talks about, among other topics; how to develop a complete story from an idea; what makes a plot gripping; the use (and abuse) of coincidence; characterization and the "likeable criminal"; going from first draft to final draft; and writing the suspense short story. Throughout the book, Highsmith illustrates her points with plentiful examples from her own work, and by discussing her own inspirations, false starts, dead ends, successes, and failures, she presents a lively and highly readable picture of the novelist at work. Anyone who wishes to write crime and suspense fiction, or who enjoys reading it, will find this book an insightful guide to the craft and art of a modern master. AUTHORBIO: The late Patricia Highsmith was reknowned as a great writer of suspense, winning the French Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere(1957) and the British Crime Writers Association's Silver Dagger in 1964. She is the author of twenty seven works of fiction, as well as numerous reviews and essays.

Customer Reviews:

Mostly for Highsmith fans.......2005-12-16

I found this book enjoyable to read, but not very useful as a practical guide. Written almost like an interview, Highsmith details the writing of her various books and short stories. If you're a fan of hers (as I am), these stories are entertaining since they show the genesis of her ideas and insights into her writing.

However, it is difficult to see how many of her suggestions could be applied outside of the situation where she used them. It was almost as if she provided great anecdotes, but couldn't render general principles that would be useful in varied writing circumstances. If you're a Highsmith fan, you'll really enjoy this small book. If you're looking for general writing advice, another book might serve you better.

No Suspense Here .......2005-03-27

Patricia Highsmith is a fine writer of suspense fiction, one of the better ones of the past generation. But, Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction has none whatsoever: no intrique, no gueswork at all as to where she is going. Rather, she is only frank, brutally honest, and above all, to her credit, refrains from Lordly preachments as to the craft of writing in this genre. There are no exercises, no checklists, no workbook atmosphere, not the remotest hint of finger waving, teacherly reprimands surrounding this book. ##### I got curiouser and curiouser as I read, wondering when the directional thrust would evolve. It never did. If you're expecting her to tell you to put down the newspaper and turn off the tv, forget it. Instead, she tells you, in effect, if you want to make the world a better place, plant flowers in your front yard. ##### The closest she gets to a heartily advocated position in the entire book is in stressing that you must, firstly, write to please yourself. If you've read all the great works in your genre, and are satisfied with your own when you hold it up to the light of comparison, you're probably knocking out good stuff. It all starts there: your own self-satisfaction. Precious wisdom, indeed. ##### When I open a book on the writing craft I ecxpect a big variety of things. I ask myself, is it going to be another gung-ho, Gen. George S. Patton entreaty, a kick-ass approach to blowing away all obstacles? Is it going to be a back-to-school lesson? Maybe a biting commentary on the plight of the book publishing business. Are all the barriers going to be highlighted, and followed with urgings which subconsciously cause a sense of desperastion, like borrowing last-resort money to save the family farm?. You just never know what the "slant" will be. It could be any one of a number. ##### Highsmith opts for a sort of combination semi-autobiography / musings-on-writing treatise. Inspirational? No. Educational? Not really. A good look at the bell-shaped curve of life from a talented writer's viewpoint? Yes. It's like getting an Insider's look, from the outside. Whatever value you might get from this perspective is for only you to determine.

Interesting and entertaining.......2004-05-08

I'm glad I bought this book. As an author of suspense myself, I found it very worthwhile. It won't teach you how to write--but I've found no book can really do that. In the same vein as Stephen Kings book On Writing, it is more an account about how this highly successful author developed her craft over the years, her successes and failures. If you want a how to guide you would be better off with another title. It also enhances the enjoyment of this book if the reader is familiar with Highsmith's books. I found it interesting to know where she got her ideas and how she developed a small incident into a novel.

Mildly amusing, but useless........2004-02-25

Very little useful information contained in this book. You can learn more about the craft from reading her fiction!

Get Stephen King's On Writing instead. Much more practical advice.

Behind the Scenes at the Abbatoir.......2003-08-07

A modestly written, terse, readable and nuts and bolts book about how plots come to be put together, how a writer makes a living (or doesn't) and how to tell the story. What I found most charming about this "How-To" book was that it wasn't chirpy, wasn't preachy, didn't have a whiff of unreality arising from its advice, and was eminently practical. The only crime writing manual so far that I have picked up, browsed in, bought, took home and actually finished reading from cover to cover (sometimes doing the reading on a bus, that's how gripping it is). Recommended.

Book Description

The Wow Wow Diary 2005 is a collection of images sourced from strange and unusual websites. Presented in the form of a leather-bound desk diary, with a week to view per double-page spread, and an image to view per week, it offers something unexpected 52 times a year. Each picture has a URL caption which links the viewer to the original website source. The result is an internet diary that is both functional and intriguing.

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