Michelle Fine is Associate Professor of Psychology in Education at the Graduate School of Education, University
of Pennsylvania.
Summary
"I think this is the most important work I have read in over a decade on the sociology and politics of
school dropouts. Fine combines a narrative structure with a rigorous theoretical discourse that allows the reader
to both hear the voices of those involved in the dropout situation as well as to have the opportunity to reflect
critically on the ideological and material forces that structure the dropout issue as a social problem. I am convinced
that it will be a major influence in the field and will establish a new theoretical standard for inquiry into the
area of school dropouts."
-- Henry A. Giroux, Professor and Renown Scholar in Residence, Department of Educational Leadership, Miami
University
"As a critical ethnography, this manuscript is thoughtful, compassionate, and compelling. Fine is able
to document the 'braiding' of race, class, gender in sophisticated ways and this is one of the text's greatest
strengths. The link between those who 'drop out' and the restriction of critique is powerfully achieved. Fine has
successfully re-presented the complexities of urban education. She should be applauded for her integration of black
and feminist theorists. I believe this text is pioneering. It opens the literature on adolescents placed at risk
to include contexts previously ignored. This should be required reading for all school personnel, future teachers,
and those associated with educational contexts."
-- Deborah P. Britzman, Department of Education, State University of New York, Binghamton
