Pathways to Manhood: Young Black Males Struggle for Identity [Paperback]

Janet Mancini Billson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 1560008717 | ISBN-13: 978-1560008712 | Edition: 2

Pathways to Manhood: Young Black Males Struggle for Identity Book Description In Pathways to Manhood, published in cloth as Strategic Styles: Coping in the Inner City, Janet Mancini Billson studies five young boys who grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, during the intense racial and political turmoil of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Using data from Harvard's Pathways to Identity project, she analyzes how healthy ego striving develops in the social and physical decay of an inner-city environment. The author draws a rich and absorbing portrait of each boy and of his life. Although they grew up in the same social context, the boys became very different individuals. In a new preface to this expanded edition, Billson maintains that it is still vitally important to understand the coping styles that young black males develop in the face of adversity. Bernard E. Bruce traces what happened to the five boys, who are now men in their forties, in his poignant epilogue, "From Boys to Men". A new chapter on intervention strategies shows how parents, teachers, and others who work with inner-city youth can most effectively support positive coping styles. Graphic representations help visualize both the styles and the intervention strategies. This classic book is a valued resource for parents; for those who work in the helping professions, education, and the criminal justice system; and for students of sociological theory, social psychology, human development and race relations. Janet Mancini Billson has contributed to Pathways to Manhood: Young Black Males Struggle for Identity as an author. Janet Mancini Billson is the Director, Group Dimensions International, and Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers; 2 edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560008717
• ISBN-13: 978-1560008712
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,032,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tool for Teachers, Parents, Police, and Counselors, January 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pathways to Manhood: Young Black Males Struggle for Identity (Paperback)

Pathways to Manhood offers a realistic and useful tool for understanding young Black males in their search for identity. How should a teacher respond to a "tough guy" so a potentially violent encounter does not escalate? How should a parent nurture a "together guy" to help him develop into a strong young male with high autonomy? How should a police officer deal with a young Black male who is into drugs and conning? Pathways to Manhood offers a wonderful model for identifying the "strategic styles" used by young people, especially Black males, and for fostering positive styles and diminishing the negative styles. This book is great for school systems, juvenile justice and corrections workers, and anyone else who is trying to understand and cope with young males who are, as the author says, struggling for identity in a confusing world.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tool for Teachers, Parents, Police, and Counselors, January 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pathways to Manhood: Young Black Males Struggle for Identity (Paperback)

Pathways to Manhood offers a realistic and useful tool for understanding young Black males in their search for identity. How should a teacher respond to a "tough guy" so a potentially violent encounter does not escalate? How should a parent nurture a "together guy" to help him develop into a strong young male with high autonomy? How should a police officer deal with a young Black male who is into drugs and conning? Pathways to Manhood offers a wonderful model for identifying the "strategic styles" used by young people, especially Black males, and for fostering positive styles and diminishing the negative styles. This book is great for school systems, juvenile justice and corrections workers, and anyone else who is trying to understand and cope with young males who are, as the author says, struggling for identity in a confusing world.