Rickie Solinger's passionate and powerful history serves to remind us of the importance of the feminist efforts that led to Roe v. Wade and the many other measures that have liberated women from the constraints of the past. -From the new foreword by Elaine Tyler May Twenty-five years after the Supreme Court's landmark decision, abortion rights are as fiercely contested as ever and current debates over welfare, workfare, and public assistance to women with children demonstrate the way in which race and class continue to effect women's reproductive freedom. A pioneering work, Wake Up Little Susie reveals how current attitudes toward these issues developed by examining their roots in the postwar era and discerning how differently they affected black and white women. A powerful and shocking book, Susie is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex and disturbing politics surrounding issues of race, class and reproductive rights. This new edition includes a foreword by the esteemed social historian, Elaine Tyler May, and an afterword by the author that places the issues examined in Susie in the context of the current controversies.

Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as “deadbeat dads.” Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical redefinition of family life where the father-child bond is central and parental ties are peripheral. Drawing on years of fieldwork, Doing the Best I Can shows how mammoth economic and cultural changes have transformed the meaning of fatherhood among the urban poor. Intimate interviews with more than 100 fathers make real the significant obstacles faced by low-income men at every step in the familial process: from the difficulties of romantic relationships, to decision-making dilemmas at conception, to the often celebratory moment of birth, and finally to the hardships that accompany the early years of the child's life, and beyond.

This book profiles three groups of nonresidential fathers--teens, older fathers, and unmarried or divorced fathers. It promotes a fuller understanding of their problems, and offers an array of strategies for involving them in their children's lives. Utilizing a strengths perspective, the authors move beyond the realm of theory to present specific intervention strategies that have helped many diverse groups of fathers and potential fathers. Throughout, case examples illustrate key program issues. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter and reflection questions throughout promote integration of key concepts. A resource section is included with contact information for various fathering programs, other relevant resources, and a website directory.

Grounded in both research and practice, Adolescent Parenthood and Education examines five alternative education models and offers practical suggestions for their implementation. This unique book presents the perspectives of teen mothers, their families and friends, service providers, administrators, and policy makers, cutting across disciplinary lines and illuminating the complex needs of young parents.

Presents the full text of "America's Fathers and Public Policy: Report of a Workshop," edited by Nancy A. Crowell and Ethel M. Leeper. Lists committee members and workshop participants and notes acknowledgments. Remarks that the Board on Children and Families convened the workshop, "America's Fathers: Abiding and Emerging Roles in Family and Economic Support Policies," held in Washington, D.C., on September 26-28, 1993. Notes that the main topics of discussion centered around child support, teenage fathers, fathers of disabled children, and inner-city poor fathers. The Report from the workshop examines such topics as economic support, barriers and incentives to involvement, and public policy regarding fathers' rights. Contains a bibliography, a list of references and suggested directions for research, and the workshop's agenda. Links to the home pages of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy Press (NAP), as well as to other reports.