Books in the Children and Youth: History and Culture series

Provides a discussion on the role of orphanages, the primary institution for children without parents, and a stopgap measure for children needing care. This book reviews the practice of adoption, orphanage placement, and foster care since the colonial period. It provides crucial information and insight for high school and college students.

While the lives of children were generally included in historical narratives of the country, a focus specifically on children allows the reader to more fully understand the central place of family in the economic and social development of a nation.

Six original essays reflect the growing scholarly interest in the history of childhood and youth, particularly issues affecting child health and welfare.

Images of disabled children are found throughout well-known works of literature, film, and even opera. Their characters range from sweet, to brave, to tragic. Disabled children are also a part of reality as poster girls and boys for drives and causes. This work demonstrates the critical role of disability with respect to the history of childhood.