A good number of them seem completely out of touch with adults. Yet, the youngsters Hersch follows are not deprived or neglected in any usual sense. They have nice homes, nice clothes, plenty to eat, lots of activities to fill up their time and, often, two parents in place. They live in a community which takes childrearing seriously. It is frighteningly lacking in shape and structure.
Many kids know they are as a result unfocussed and drifting.
The suburban public schools where Hersch spent many hours during her research are modern and expensive. But each seems also to be without much in the way of clear expectations or true warmth. Instead of direction or support, we hear slogans and bureaucratic doublespeak. These are places where the illusion of effectiveness is valued more than the thing itself. When kids try to push one school to better relate to their lives, the activists are marginalized.