Many of the incarcerated men and women in this country are parents. Their children pay a high price—and with almost two-and-a-half million children experiencing the loss of a parent to the criminal justice system, it's a price that is also paid by schools, neighborhoods, and extended families.

Gail Griffith tells an unsparing tale of her son Will's attempt to kill himself, and the complicated road to recovery.

Carolyn Lehman presents the stories of survivors of sexual abuse. The accounts of abuse are unflinching, but the focus is on healing and eventual recovery.

Twenty adoptive parents – all of them professional writers, but otherwise presenting a broad range of voices and views – contributed to this powerful collection of stories about the fears, joys, pains and triumphs of adoptive families.

It might motivate you, it might enrage you, and it will definitely get you thinking. In eight chapters, Guggenheim – who began work as a children’s rights lawyer more than 30 years ago – offers a skeptical overview and analysis of the development of children’s rights as a legal concept.

Some three dozen teens from around the country speak out about their lives, and what troubles and cheers them about their relationships with parents, guardians, mentors and other key adults. Connect f

The Hassels, husband and wife, brought their experiences as parents, education policy wonks, and consultants on management and school leadership to the job of developing this "Picky Parent Guide" to choosing an elementary school.

Nearly one in every three babies is born to an unmarried mother and many single women are adopting children as well. In On Our Own: Unmarried Motherhood in America, journalist Melissa Ludtke explores these trends by looking at the latest expert research and by voicing the very personal reflections of unmarried mothers. Hear the story behind the book in this article by the author.

A powerful argument in favor of keeping brothers and sisters together as they navigate the foster care system comes in the form of a lyrical memoir by poet Paula McLain. Connect for Kids former Editor Susan Phillips reviews Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses.

Hampered by petticoats and immobilized on a pedestal, the Southern lady of our imagination seems an unlikely activist. But historian Peter Bardaglio says that several essays in a new book, Before the New Deal: Social Welfare in the South, 1830-1930, demonstrate how Southern women built lasting programs for children and families in communities deformed by slavery and devastated by war.