Not Our Kind of Girl: Unraveling the Myths of Black Teenage Motherhood

Rating:
Summary: Decent look at black teen mothers
Review: I read this years ago, but I remember it being okay. The author observes black teen mothers and their struggles and puts a human face on conservatives' favorite scapegoat. In our days of "Maury Povich" where baby daddy and baby grandmas call these young girls "sluts" in front of all America, the author notes that many grandmothers force their sons to accept paternity as soon as they see how much the new babies look like the fathers did when they were younger. The author's style is observational and may not be methodologically-sound for many. And sometimes, the conversation does get too internal. Still, I wish the author a good academic career and I thank her for increasing the scholarship on black women, particularly young and poor ones.