Overview
This story about 17-year-old Jewels Odom and 13 other ex-teen prostitutes gives Jewels and her 13 ""sisters"" a pulpit to speak to other lost girls looking for an escape from what they call the “streets of hell.” What separates Jewels from her “street sisters” is her ability to survive and succeed -- actually going to college to return as a teacher at juvie. This story ends with a mixture of successes and failures, but as always, Jewels is the one who has the final say when she tries to connect with Maya Angelou, the famous poet, to be the graduation speaker.
Full Product Details
Author: David P. Sortino
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.40cm
, Length: 22.00cm
Weight: 0.358kg
ISBN: 9781475861105
ISBN 10: 1475861109
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 11 July 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
It is with great pleasure that I write this testimonial for Dr. David Sortino's excellent book. His excellent non-fiction story about 14 ex-teenage prostitutes, drug dealers, and gang bangers provides a poignant description of how he transformed the behaviors of at-risk teen girls while serving as their teacher and principal of a Northern California just community residential facility. What will be particularly appealing to a large number of the reading audience is the personal commentary by ex-teen prostitute, Jewels Odom. She offers an eyewitness account of her journey from her street smart to school smart experience with her so called 13 Clark Academy sisters. Moreover, this book addresses not only the journey of at-risk teen girls from juvenile hall to the Clark Academy; it also provides a voice for the 900,000 (USA) girls, ages ten and older, and 20 million worldwide who are forced into prostitution and sex trafficking. Further, this book also provides a timely and impactful account of the lives of these 14 girls, a significant account during the current Black Lives Matter movement. Finally, in my opinion, there have been many books written about at risk youth, but few have been able to truly capture the day-to-day trials and tribulations of at-risk teen girls who, regardless of all their personal challenges, pass the GED ( Graduate Education Development) test and are able to move on from a life on the streets to becoming productive citizens. This is their story. -- Dagmar Hoheneck-Smith, MD, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Santa Rosa, CA
This excellent story about 14 ex-teenage prostitutes, drug dealers, and gang bangers provides a poignant description of how Sortino transformed the behaviors of at-risk teen girls while serving as the teacher and principal of a Northern California ""just community"" residential facility. The main character Jewels Odom offers an eyewitness account of her journey from her street smart to school smart experience with her 13 Clark Academy sisters. Moreover, this book addresses not only the journey of at-risk teen girls from juvenile hall to the Clark Academy; it also provides a voice for the 900,000 (USA) girls, ages ten and older, and 20 million worldwide who are forced into prostitution and sex trafficking. Finally, there have been many books written about at risk youth, but few have been able to truly capture the day-to-day trials and tribulations of at-risk teen girls who, regardless of all their personal challenges, pass the GED test and are able to move on from a life on the streets to becoming productive citizens. This is their story. -- Dagmar Hoheneck-Smith, MD, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Santa Rosa, CA
Author Information
David P. Sortino, PhD, has over 40 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, educational consultant and neuroscientist with at-risk youth. He is the former school principal with the Just Community Emancipation Program for ex-juvenile offenders at the Clark Academy. He obtained a PhD in clinical psychology and then worked at a north bay juvenile hall for four years as a moral development consultant, running groups and retraining staff about recent developmental theories, etc. He also taught several university courses in moral development and the life cycles.
