From Shelf Awareness for Readers: Drawing on extensive research and firsthand interviews with young adults across the United States, Abandoned offers a comprehensive look into the problems of disconnection in rising generations and "aims to bring [the] emerging discipline of youth policy into the mainstream." A journalist and lawyer with a public policy focus, Anne Kim succeeds in this aim; while the content of Abandoned is academic in nature, it is never dry, and the combination of data and anecdotes will appeal to policy wonks and general readers alike.

Kim explores recent science around adolescence and young adulthood as a formative period of a person's life before considering what disconnection looks like and how it is that nearly 4.5 million young people (or 11.5% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 24) are not participating in either school or work. She documents the "systems and institutions" (such as foster care and the criminal justice system) intended to help young people that have instead exacerbated the problem, and then offers concrete examples of programs that are working and policy suggestions that could better support young adults at minimal cost.

Kim is practical about the problems of disconnection. She addresses the many ways that racism, classism and privilege intersect to create pathways to opportunity for some, but not other, young adults, and outlines the hardships many disconnected youths face. But key to her approach--and suggested solutions--is an emphasis on the opportunity being overlooked in this population's untapped potential. "The investment we make in our young adults is a reflection of our collective vision for the county's future," she writes. Abandoned is a road map for what that vision could be. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Discover: This comprehensive overview of the problem of disconnection among young adults in the U.S. offers proven solutions and concrete policy recommendations.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Wow. What a book.
Abandoned covers a topic that so many of us don't think about or hear much about. What happens to teenagers once they hit "adulthood?" We often think that just because someone hits the "age of adult" they should immediately able to tend to themselves with no help.

The stories in this book are touching and raw.
Check it out.

Abandoned is one of those books that will stay with you and that should be recommended. Disconnection in the youth population is an issue that needs more attention and this book does a great job highlighting several forms of disconnection within the population of 16/18-24 year olds in our current political climate.
The author does an amazing job addressing the topics, using real world stories from disconnected youth, and shocking statistics to clearly layout why and how this has become an issue that need addressing.
Thank you to The New Press as I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Both our society and our institutions are failing young adults at a particularly vulnerable point in their development, as Anne Kim shows us in her very good study of the matter.

This was a heartbreaking book. I loved it, but it was heartbreaking. Unflinching honesty and prose. I just wanted to scoop up the main character and give a big hug. The story is the reality for so many people in the world, and it makes me even sadder. The book and story is very good and I highly recommend it.

This one’s a must-read. This is a heartbreaking, in-depth look at the tragedy that affects too many young people in our country. Abandoned looks at history, how we got here, the many ways disconnect affects our youth, and ways to assist. There’s so much to learn.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book did a great job of touching on several aspects of what is termed "disconnected youth". This is such an important subject and does need a lot more attention and focus. The author describes the aspects well and brings awareness to this crisis.