"Approximately 70,000 young people are in juvenile detention or correctional facilities each night."

As a part of the In the Margins committee, I knew that I would be reading books that were out of my comfort zone. My most recent read Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross is certainly one of those books. I work in an urban school and many of my students have been in the juvenile justice system at one point or another. My husband has also worked at three different juvenile detention facilities. I am not a stranger to teens who have been in custody. However, to read the facts and statistics about youth incarceration in this country and them put them together with the childrens' stories is a much different matter entirely.

Juvenile in Justice is a project Richard Ross embarked on, in his words, ". . . to give a voice to those with the least amount of authority in any U.S. confinement system." He went into juvenile detention centers and correctional facilities across the country and talked to and photographed the kids who were confined within. Each page is a picture of a child along with a quote about his or her circumstances. The stark design gives even more power to the words of these youth.

This book is unique in that the stories, photographs, and statistics are combined. Most people have no idea of the reality of the juvenile justice system in our country, but Richard Ross provides a glimpse into a world that everyone who cares about the future of the children of the United States should examine.

A New Adventure

I work as a librarian in an urban district. It's no secret that I spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect book for each student. I think that collection development is a tricky science that most people completely underestimate. I have done some work for our alternative middle school in the past year that has made the process even more difficult. I want to make sure that every dollar I spend, each book we acquire, is the perfect book for our students.

A few months ago, a post came across the YALSA listserv. It was from Amy Cheney. She was seeking volunteers for a committee that would review street lit for teens, with a special focus on incarcerated teens. Although I do not work with teens who are incarcerated, I do work with teens who come from urban homes. They are always looking for books "about people like me." I responded to the call and crossed my fingers. I wasn't sure that I would be considered for the committee due to my lack of experience working on a selection committee and my current job, but I was hopeful that my interest and closely related experience would work in my favor.

I was excited to receive an e-mail yesterday confirming my seat on the In the Margins committee. I know that I am going to learn much in the coming year(s) that will benefit my students, as well as teens around the country. It is good to be shining a light on a genre that is either ignored or stigmatized. I know that much of what will appear on most of my colleagues' reading lists in the coming months won't appear on mine . . . and I'm up for the challenge. I'll keep you posted about how it goes.