The Milltown Boys Revisited
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:1st Oct '04
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Also available in hardback, 9781859738191 GBP50.00 (October, 2004)
Howard Williamson's 'Five Years' was a ground-breaking study of youth, poverty and crime in the 1970s. At its close, the boys he interviewed were left with few prospects and bleak futures.Howard Williamson's 'Five Years' was a ground-breaking study of youth, poverty and crime in the 1970s. At its close, the boys he interviewed were left with few prospects and bleak futures. Twenty-five years later, Williamson returns to find out the sort of men these boys have become and narrates their stories in this extraordinary book.Of the original group of sixty-seven boys, seven are dead -- not one of natural causes. Williamson tracked down half of those remaining. Here they tell of their personal, family and social relationships, legal and illegal work, their experiences of the criminal justice system, and money. Contrary to what one might expect, their lives are startlingly diverse.The Milltown Boys Revisited is a riveting account of life on the edge during the Thatcher and Blair governments. It tells stories of dignity, human betterment and escape, of fatalism on the margins of criminal and drug cultures, and also of getting by in difficult circumstances. It is as much a celebration of individual resilience as an account of risk and vulnerability in the lives of the dispossessed.
'A compelling account of how young people navigate the treacherous waters into adulthood, despite rather ineffective social policies. Williamson's unique role for the past 30 years as a researcher, practitioner and policy adviser provides powerful insights into how our society has helped or hindered the young, especially those growing up on the margins of the labour market and of criminality.' Tom Wylie, Director of the National Youth Agency 'Williamson's masterly effort to produce a longitudinal study (a rarity in youth research) is not only standard-setting in its methodology, but also an example of how distant intimacy like this is required in participant observation - thus it is sociology and education at the same time. Williamson does not guess about young people, he knows.' Peter Lauritzen, Head of Department Education and Training, Research, Communication and Youth Policy, Council of Europe, Directorate for Youth and Sport, Strasbourg Williamson's detailed account of the nitty-gritty of the lives of disadvantaged young men teaches more than many books on theory. I hope that he will undertake a study on the Milltown girls. Young Minds Magazine Williamson has written a gem. i think it will last and shine. What stayed with me was the elegant weaving and editing of lives to bring these men alive on the page . Williamson has put in his skill and time to reflect and tell the unfolding truth. Youth & Policy This book is possibly unique. It combines the rigour of social science method with being immensely readable. Planet
ISBN: 9781859738245
Dimensions: 234mm x 156mm x 16mm
Weight: unknown
288 pages