Summary quick, yet rich, read

Reviewer's Comments

Krueger, Mark (Ed.). (2004). Themes and Stories in Youthwork Practice. Haworth Press, Inc., New York, 96 pages, $34.95 hardcover, $17.95 paperback.

Mark Krueger edited this volume of his own and colleagues’ writings about youthwork practice. Themes and Stories in Youthwork Practice was co-published simultaneously in 2004 as Volume 26, Number 1, of the journal Child and Youth Services. Dr. Krueger brings years of experience and many stories of his work and the work of his colleagues to this book as an illustration of youthwork practice. The term “youthwork” in this book encompasses group home and residential treatment settings, mentoring, and counseling services with children and adolescents.

The four chapter titles are: Youthwork as Modern Dance, Using Self and Story to Understand Youthwork, Moments with Youth, and Three Sketches. The first three chapters contain several vignette-style stories to illustrate concepts integral to youthwork practice, such as improvisation, struggle and conflict, and moments of connection, discovery, and empowerment (all are subheadings from Chapter 1). Through these short narratives, the writers demonstrate how translating encounters with youth into stories is a powerfully creative and enriching way to reflect on and learn from experiences. The careful contemplation of interactions with the youth and emphasis on the relationship in the work are reminiscent of clinical practice.

In the last chapter, Dr. Krueger coalesces experiences from his own formative years with his later experience as a youthworker and beyond into fictitious narratives. This chapter, while interesting from a creative writing perspective, does not seem compatible with the rest of the book. However, it does give the interested reader an idea of what to expect from Dr. Krueger’s novels.

This book is a quick, yet rich, read. The reader is drawn into the moments between youthworker and youth many times over through the short stories.

This book is helpful in learning about and understanding the multifaceted practice of youthwork, and therefore would be an excellent addition to any class on the topic. The usefulness of this book also extends to those social workers already in this sector of practice, as an introductory way to consider utilizing written narratives to expound upon the direct work with youth.

Reviewed by Devon Rocha, May 2005 MSW graduate, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work.

This review appeared in The New Social Worker, Summer 2005, Vol. 12, Number 3.