@article{775336,
      recid = {775336},
      author = {Azzi-Lessing, Lenette,},
      title = {Behind from the start : how America's war on the poor is  harming our most vulnerable children /},
      pages = {xiv, 232 pages :},
      abstract = {" Today there are nearly six million children under the  age of five living in poverty in the world's richest  country. Blanket statements are often tossed around in the  political arena, public debate sphere, and progressive  rhetoric. But the statistic remains intangible for many  Americans, likely because the root causes, effects, and  implications are multifaceted and complex, and are often  hard to understand for the average American living a much  different reality. What is needed is a clear and thorough  discussion of this epidemic, and Behind from the Start  answers that call. Author Lenette Azzi-Lessing examines  what lies behind the stubbornly high rate of poverty among  young children in the U.S. and the resulting consequences,  both for the children themselves and for America as a  whole. Behind from the Start examines the link between  America's shaming, blaming, and marginalizing of poor  parents, and our punitive welfare policies that jeopardize  the life chances of vulnerable young children, thereby  maintaining the cycle of chronic poverty. Research has  shown that the experience of poverty in the first years of  life is particularly harmful, blunting physical and brain  development, increasing the risk for chronic health issues  and injury, and limiting a person's lifelong capacity for  learning and success. In debunking the myths that help  perpetuate the cycle of poverty in the world's richest  country, Lenette Azzi-Lessing reveals how negative public  and political discourse regarding poor families impacts the  poorly conceived and fragmented programs intended to  support them, which have in turn failed to meet their aims.  She considers the cultural and political forces that  contribute to intergenerational poverty in the U.S., the  consequences for the millions of young children in families  stuck at the bottom of our economy, and the beneficial  impacts that would be felt country-wide in fixing some of  these persistent problems. Drawing upon knowledge from  diverse fields, including neuroscience, media studies, and  public policy, as well as the author's experiences on the  front lines as a practicing social worker, Behind from the  Start offers a fresh take on this shameful problem and its  solutions. "--},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/775336},
}