Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

This book's title belies the complexity of its meticulously detailed and powerfully written longitudinal study of the children and families of Katrina. The youth of Katrina serve as the backdrop for a most thorough discussion of the experiences of children affected by trauma and disaster. The authors focus on telling the intimate stories over time of seven children and their families as exemplars for the experiences of the larger group of children affected by Katrina specifically and disaster writ large. In addition to the theoretically and developmentally grounded depiction of three possible trajectories that children can take in how they deal with disaster, a major strength of the book is the appendixes, notes, and index. Sociologists Fothergill (Univ. of Vermont, Burlington) and Peek (Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins) provide an invaluable record of their process, successes, and challenges in conducting longitudinal research with children. Their book is an excellent read about the impact of trauma on children as well as an invaluable resource for how to conduct longitudinal research with children. The authors also include practical suggestions for helping children and families affected by disaster. For academic institutions with undergraduate and graduate level researchers.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.