Coming of Age in the Other America

Examines how social policy can interrupt the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage and overcome the social origins of disadvantaged youth. Focuses on a sample of young people between fifteen and twenty-four in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2010, in order to consider how young people from deeply disadvantaged origins navigate the transition to adulthood. Discusses social reproduction and the transition to adulthood; neighborhood change and intergenerational attainment; how identity projects help youth beat the street and stay on track; the vulnerability of youth without an identity project; how family and neighborhood disadvantage hinder the transition to adulthood; the educational and occupational traps of expedited adulthood; and policies to support identity projects and reduce educational and neighborhood inequality. DeLuca is Associate Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. Clampet-Lundquist is Associate Professor of Sociology at Saint Joseph's University. Edin is Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Index.