Customer Reviews

Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them

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I've read a lot of books about lost boys, but I've seldom been as impressed as I was by this one. Unlike other experts, this author never gives up on a boy--even if he's sitting on death row, as 300 American juveniles are. The author speaks of the divine spark in each of us--even murderers. He also addresses the root causes of violence and how to save our children. Prevention is the answer, of course,along with compassion and believing in the inherent goodness of all human beings. In a society that equates punishment with justice and believes in retribution rather than resurrection, LOST BOYS offers spiritual and practical hope for all.

I worked as a documentary producer for some time in the 90's and came to have some first-hand knowledge of one of the cases James Garbarino discusses in this book, that of Shareef Cousin, a New Orleans teen who was once the youngest person ever to be on death row in the US.


Garbarino presents Cousin as a prime example of how a child can fall into a life of violence and murder for lack of a father figure. Problem: Shareef Cousin was not violent and did not murder anyone. His case is one of the most famous US cases of a totally innocent person, in this case a child, landing up on death row. Cousin was actually on several home videotapes taken at the time of the crime playing in a basketball game at a distant community center. Authorities were well aware of this evidence at the time of his trial but suppressed the information, and, in the meantime, coerced Cousin into confessing to a robbery he also couldn't have committed in order to keep him in prison after he was taken off death row. (He's out now, all charges dropped and convictions overturned, and he's a fine, upstanding citizen.). His story is not one of a fatherless boy falling into a life of crime, but of racism and corruption in the New Orleans DA'S office.


If you use the Amazon search feature to view Garbarino's references to Cousin's case in this book, you'll see he gives the impression he interviewed Cousin at length to get all sorts of insight into how his childhood circumstances made him a murderer. He even intimates that Shareef more or less admitted guilt. This is sheer rubbish. From day one, Cousin, his wonderfully supportive family, and numerous witnesses proclaimed his innocence to anyone and everyone who would listen. And by the time this book was published, his murder conviction was being overturned and he was well on his way to being cleared of the sham robbery charges. I find it hard to believe Garbarino was unaware of Shareef's innocence when he wrote this section of the book. But he needed Cousin to be guilty, being the picture-perfect fatherless black kid and all, in order to support his shallow, pop-psychological theories on boys and violence, so he completely misrepresented this child and his situation.


Such a lack of respect for people and for the truth makes all the other anecdotes and "data" in this book highly suspect. What a shame because this is such an important topic that really needs to be addressed by an author of intellectual and personal integrity. -- If Garbarino is their only advocate, the Lost Boys will most likely remain lost.

This book provides in its few, short pages, a complete and concise, yet very readable, analysis of the causes of youthful violence and tells what can be done - indeed, what must be done, from earliest childhood on - to prevent it. This book should be required reading by all teachers, court and law enforcement officers, physicians, social workers - by everyone who works with children and adolescents of any age, in any capacity, as well as by all those who make policy and pass legislation at any level of federal, state or local government.

James Garbarino's book highlights the confusion that we instill in children when we make them responsible for their actions and don't accept our responsibility for their well being. As a former junior high school principal, I wish every legislator would read this book before they pass more laws moving juvenile offenders into our cruel and ineffective adult correctional system.

For those who were surprised by the Littleton killings or any of the others...this book is for you. In 25 years of Social Work practice and education I have never seen a kinder or more cogent discussion of the plight of males in our soceity. Dr. Garbarino's perspective on our social responsibilities is both sobering and moral. Yes, there are solutions to our toxicity, however, to date, this has not been a political, moral, economic or social priority. We are challenged to acknowledge the existance and pervasiveness of this environment and suffer the inconveniences of improving it.

It is rare to find a world-class researcher that can write with clarity and passion. Dr. Garbarino is such a scholar. I am a Protestant minister and psychologist and his treatment of the question of spirituality in troubled boys is at the heart of the issue. Recommended to those in the religious community.

If you want to see a clear examination of the problems that lead to the type of terrible violence we saw this week in Littleton, Colorado browse a copy of LOST BOYS: Why our sons run violent and how we can save them. By James Garbarino, Ph.D. Free Press; ISBN: 0684859084

I saw this this morning and thought that Professor Garbarino talks convincingly about the effects of isolation and marginalization of kids (boys especially); the easy availability of firearms; and the effects that point and shoot videogames and violent media have in removing the normal human reluctance that people have innately that makes most of us reluctant to point a weapon at another person to shoot to kill.

Garbarino offers some hope and some concrete ideas about how we can contribute, individually and as a community, to stemming this increasingly common tragedy.

If you have an interest in making your community safer from the kind of violence that ambushed Littleton, Colorado; Jonesboro, Arkansas and all too many other American communities I'd recommend reading this book.

This book goes a long way in helping our nation process, explain, and anticipate acts of youth violence that we too often (and erroneously) call random. In light of the recent atrocity in Littleton, this book is simply the must-read book of the season.

The book, Lost Boys, by Dr. James Garbarino, provides the reader with a personal perspective on male youth violence. Dr. Garbarino not only establishes a strong theoretical base for youth violence, but he shares personal accounts from boys who have committed violent acts. These personal accounts are what keep the reader enthralled in the subject of youth violence today. This book, disturbing in its description of youth violence, was written even before the Columbine High shooting in Colorado. Dr. Garbarino is successful in reminding his audience that no one is immune from youth violence. The boys who commit these cannot be lumped into one race or one socioeconomic status. The book makes the point that violence is becoming prevalent among White, suburban communities whose inhabitants felt completely safe at one time. Dr. Garbarino discusses the many factors that contribute to the detriment of young boys. The book is an effective resource on why boys turn violent, and what can be done preventatively and through rehabilitation to stop the violence. I found that the initial personal accounts of adolescent murderers significantly served the purpose of bringing the reader to see these boys as humans, not monsters. Dr. Garbarino relates how it is too easy to label these violent youths as monsters, void of any emotion. Most of the youths commit violent acts for a variety of reasons, many which are directly related to problems in child development. Dr. Garbarino stresses that it takes a combination of genetic and environmental factors to cause youths to commit violent crimes. In this discussion of outside factors that influence youth violence, Dr. Garbarino relates the theory of his mentor, Urie Brofenbrenner. Brofenbrenner believes that every child's development is affected by his ecological perspective. The ecological perspective is the theory that a child interacts with his environment while, simultaneously, the environment acts upon the child. This support's Garbarino's view that a child is not simply born evil to commit acts of violence. Whether a child will commit violence is the result of heredity and environment. This view is also concurrent with the famous Nature and Nurture theory of human development; moreover, that behavior is determined as the result of a combination of both. In Lost Boys, Garbarino illustrates the example that a genetically sound boy can be raised in violent surroundings and become violent as a result; consequently, a boy who has severe developmental problems but is raised in a nurturing environment may choose not to commit violence. In Lost Boys, Garbarino discusses the motivations behind what prompts boys in their moral decision-making by referring to Kohlberg's Moral Reasoning theory. Garbarino explains that most violent boys are in Kohlberg's first level, the Preconventional Moral Reasoning stage. At this stage, boys do not focus on what actions are right or wrong; instead, boys contemplate whether they will benefit or not from committing a violent act. In the book, Garbarino gives an example of how family is the most important entity in one boy's life. For someone to come along and insult a member of this family, this could cause the boy to act out in a violent manner. For most boys in Kohlberg's first stage of moral reasoning, morality is colored and complex. Dr. Garbarino introduces the importance of personal relationships in the development of youths. Garbarino incorporates Vygotsky's developmental theory that children's development is primarily social and dependent on language and cultural factors. Garbarino recognizes that a large number of boys committing heinous crimes have either destructive role models or none at all. It is a well-studied conclusion that children model adult behavior. Kids have to have someone to look up to and imitate, and when this someone is a violent adult, the child most likely will exhibit violent behavior. Peers and religious influences are good markers for whether or not boys become destructive. Garbarino sadly points out that one of the boys responsible for a school massacre felt socially outcasted by his peers. Garbarino stresses that rejection by parents or peers from an early age can have serious consequences on a child's development. These boys yearn for a sense of belonging and acceptance. Garbarino says that besides good parental upbringing and strong peer relationships, a strong connection to religion has a very positive impact on child development. In conclusion, Garbarino calls attention to the fact that there are not enough quality rehabilitation programs or facilities for violent boys. Before reading Garbarino's book, I was guilty of wanting to dismiss the violent youths of today as being crazy and obviously raised improperly. After reading Lost Boys, however, I agree with Garbarino that these boys should be given a fair chance to be rehabilitated in good facilities. Garbarino has made a strong and valid case in his book that youth violence in the U.S. today is not limited to warzones in inner cities. No one can claim total immunity from youth violence. Lost Boys offers a realistic and shocking look into why youths kill and what developmental factors influence violence.

This book by Dr. James Garbarino comes at a time when a lot of Americans wonder: What will happen next with youth violence? How far is this going to go? Are youth becoming monsters?

Like many Americans and others from around the world, I have been asking myself these questions. I have been horrified by the incomprehensible crimes committed by such young boys as the ones we all watched in replays of horrifying school shootings. "Lost Boys" is the first book I have read which really helped me understand how kids can commit "senseless" crimes. It also gave me hope that we, as members of society, do not need to be helpless witnesses of this madness. I recommend this book to anyone living in a violent society.