HARD TIME: A Real Life Look at Juvenile Crime and Violence - Hardcover

From teens who are incarcerated for crimes to teens who have been the victims of crime, Janet Bode and Stan Mack present compelling and astounding portraits, examining why crime and violence are such a big part of young lives today.

Gr. 7^-12. Sean tells us of the day he killed his mother, at age 13, and drove off in her car with two friends. Angela reminisces about how, by age 10, she had been initiated into prostitution and drugs by her mother and how, as a teen, she "knew alcohol and drugs could help smother my memories." Horrifying and heartbreaking, the testimonials in the first part of this volume convey the agony of broken lives. The speakers are teens, many in prison, who have been either the perpetrators or the victims of violence. Parts two and three offer accounts from professionals who work in the juvenile justice system and from teens who have incarcerated friends or relatives. Effectively complementing the narratives are sobering statistics, poems etched in desperation, and cartoon dialogues by coauthor Mack. In the tradition of Bode's New Kids on the Block (1989), about immigrant teens, and Heartbreak and Roses (1994), about troubled love, Hard Time both shocks the reader and provides a glimmer of hope, stemming from the few success stories inside the grim walls. A bibliography, a glossary, and lists of organizations are appended. Anne O'Malley