Can't Catch a Break: Gender, Jail, Drugs, and the Limits of Personal Responsibility

By Susan Starr Sered, Maureen Norton-Hawk, Prof. Maureen Norton-Hawk

Book Overview

Based on five years of fieldwork in Boston, Can't Catch a Break documents the day-to-day lives of forty women as they struggle to survive sexual abuse, violent communities, ineffective social and therapeutic programs, discriminatory local and federal policies, criminalization, incarceration, and a broad cultural consensus that views suffering as a consequence of personal flaws and bad choices. Combining hard-hitting policy analysis with an intimate account of how marginalized women navigate an unforgiving world, Susan Sered and Maureen Norton-Hawk shine new light on the deep and complex connections between suffering and social inequality.

As an additional teaching tool, instructors can find updates about the women in Can't Catch a Break on Susan's blog at http: //susan.sered.name/blog/category/cant-catch-a-break/.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520282795
• ISBN13: 9780520282797
• Release Date: September 2014
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.2"