Michaela Soyer - Lost Childhoods: Poverty, Trauma, and Violent Crime in the Post-Welfare Era

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

Most of all I am indebted to the young men I interviewed at SCI Pine Grove. They shared intimate and painful memories with me and vividly described their failures and feelings of shame and desperation. As they recalled their lives, they showed a remarkable level of self-reflection and clarity about their past. I hope that this book does justice to the complexity and dignity of their lives. I am equally grateful to the friends and caregivers who agreed to be interviewed. They graciously allowed me into their homes and helped me to expand my perspective on the young mens lives.

Lost Childhoods is my second book, but for the first time I had to work through data completely independentlywithout the thoughtful guidance of a dissertation committee. I continue to feel uncertain about the final product, but the many friends and colleagues who supported me throughout this research and writing process helped me to see this project through to its conclusion.

The research for this book was accomplished during my tenure as a postdoctoral scholar at the Justice Center for Research at Penn State University. I want to thank Gary Zajac and Doris McKenzie, who offered me a temporary intellectual home after I graduated from the University of Chicago. I am immensely grateful for the material and intellectual support the Justice Center for Research provided.

When I started my postdoctoral position, taking on a new project seemed daunting, but thanks to a grant from the ASA/NSF Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline, it became possible for me to conceptualize and conduct new research just after I had finished my dissertation. Of the many people who helped me during the data collection phase, I specifically would like to thank Shannon Singer, who diligently transcribed the interviews I conducted. My thanks also go to Steven Matthews. The meeting I had with him, before I began my interviews at SCI Pine Grove, inspired me to make use of maps and address history during the interview process. Over the course of this research, I often relied on the invaluable advice of my friend and fellow postdoctoral scholar Susan McNeely. Melinda Bell and Pamela McCratic have been the best adoptive aunts our daughters could wish for and I feel very lucky to have met them during this important time in my life.

As most researchers can attest to, it is very challenging to start a new research project when beginning a tenure track position. Lynn Chancer not only offered me my dream job, but also convinced the administration to let me defer my start date at Hunter College for another year. I am grateful for her advocacy and continuous support. At Hunter College I am lucky to be surrounded by fantastic colleagues, whose advice has been invaluable throughout my first years there. I want to thank my current department chair, Erica Chito-Childs, for understanding how difficult it is to balance motherhood, teaching, and research.

Of all friends and colleagues, Danielle Raudenbush has had the greatest impact on the intellectual development of this manuscript. She patiently read several versions of it and ensured that I remained committed to connecting my empirical observations with careful theoretical analysis. Without my parents presence, it would have been impossible to find the time necessary for finishing this book. They selflessly have taken care of our daughters during summer months and given me the space to do my work. My husband, Ed Silver, took over parenting duties while I conducted interviews. I am thankful for his patience and persistence through the emotional ups and downs of my writing process. I also want to thank my daughters, Cordelia and Rebekka, for reminding me what is really important in life.

My final thanks goes to Andrea Leverentz and Jerry Flores, whose extensive feedback improved the manuscript immeasurably.