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Cross-cultural child development: A view from the planet earth
332
Book Reviews
that the evidence presented to support her thesis is overpowering. Her ability to present the research evidence in an unbiased and objective way is remarkable. She states her case in each chapter, and interprets and applies it to contemporary education in a non-defensive and scholarly manner. Not only does she present the dilemmas around the interaction of families and schools in fine fashion, but she also attempts to provide viable resolutions to these conflicts. Lightfoot’s obvious concern is the manner in which children are being cheated, especially black children, because of this conflict between the home and the school. She does not come across, however, in the least portraying a defensive, militant, nor angry member of a minority group. She sees a powerful potential in children and is very strong in her point of view that a reconciliation between parents and teachers is not only necessary but highly feasible since both have a great deal to offer. There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Lightfoot achieves her purpose in writing the book. There is little doubt that the book is very timely and therefore an extremely important contribution to the literature. Everv educator should gain something significant to add to his/her repertoire of knowledge in terms of how to constructively deal with dilemmas that would appear to be insurmountable. The book is well organized and consistent throughout. Its style is clear, relatively concise, and to the point. Its comprehensiveness, in terms of broad coverage per topic, is also excellent. It would have been interesting if Ms. Lightfoot had dealt with male teachers and their relationship with parents. This omission does not, however, detract from this superb book. Richard R. DeBlassie New Mexico State University;
Cross-Cultural Child Development: A View from the Planet Earth By Emmy Elisabeth Werner Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1979, 355+xii pp., $9.95 Cross Cultural Child Development fills a void in the child development literature. It meets the crucial need of broadening our perspective on how children develop outside highly technological and industrialized, Western society. The children of Africa, Asia, Latin America,
Book Reviews and Oceania are depicted in the context of their distinct, cultural milieus as they develop and adjust to rapid modernization. Focusing on the first 10 years of life, the author does an outstanding job of assessing and synthesizing the diverse findings from cross-cultural studies of young children and their caregivers. Deliberately or inadvertently, the author allots more space to infancy than to other periods of development. The holistic approach considers all parts of the child: physical, cognitive, social-emotional. and ecological However, while the stated intent is to focus on critical areas and stages of development, the de~~elopmental tone is sometimes missing. Frequent generalizations about children make it difficult to determine the child’s age or developmental period and leave the reader with a fragmented rather than a developmental conceptualization of the child. Perhaps this is partly due to the topical organization of the book and partly to the author’s meticulous attention to detailed descriptions of cross-cultural research. The emphasis on detail, coupled with the tediously uniform writing style, occasionally gives the book an encyclopedic flavor. Nevertheless, the author has done a superior job of referencing the book with up-to-date, comprehensive, and relevant information. It is difficult for the reader to get lost in the voluminous studies because of periodic summaries within and concluding the chapters. The summaries provide the continuity and clarity that the author intended. Moreover, the book successfully achieves its goal of providing the reader with, “a balanced view of the key issues that are of significance in the cross-cultural study of children and that present a challenge for future research and social action” (p. 4). This book is suitable for advanced students in child development, human development, developmental psychology, and psychological anthropology. It is also an excellent handbook for teachers, researchers, and other professionais who work with children or youth services.
Book Reviews
that the evidence presented to support her thesis is overpowering. Her ability to present the research evidence in an unbiased and objective way is remarkable. She states her case in each chapter, and interprets and applies it to contemporary education in a non-defensive and scholarly manner. Not only does she present the dilemmas around the interaction of families and schools in fine fashion, but she also attempts to provide viable resolutions to these conflicts. Lightfoot’s obvious concern is the manner in which children are being cheated, especially black children, because of this conflict between the home and the school. She does not come across, however, in the least portraying a defensive, militant, nor angry member of a minority group. She sees a powerful potential in children and is very strong in her point of view that a reconciliation between parents and teachers is not only necessary but highly feasible since both have a great deal to offer. There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Lightfoot achieves her purpose in writing the book. There is little doubt that the book is very timely and therefore an extremely important contribution to the literature. Everv educator should gain something significant to add to his/her repertoire of knowledge in terms of how to constructively deal with dilemmas that would appear to be insurmountable. The book is well organized and consistent throughout. Its style is clear, relatively concise, and to the point. Its comprehensiveness, in terms of broad coverage per topic, is also excellent. It would have been interesting if Ms. Lightfoot had dealt with male teachers and their relationship with parents. This omission does not, however, detract from this superb book. Richard R. DeBlassie New Mexico State University;
Cross-Cultural Child Development: A View from the Planet Earth By Emmy Elisabeth Werner Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1979, 355+xii pp., $9.95 Cross Cultural Child Development fills a void in the child development literature. It meets the crucial need of broadening our perspective on how children develop outside highly technological and industrialized, Western society. The children of Africa, Asia, Latin America,
Book Reviews and Oceania are depicted in the context of their distinct, cultural milieus as they develop and adjust to rapid modernization. Focusing on the first 10 years of life, the author does an outstanding job of assessing and synthesizing the diverse findings from cross-cultural studies of young children and their caregivers. Deliberately or inadvertently, the author allots more space to infancy than to other periods of development. The holistic approach considers all parts of the child: physical, cognitive, social-emotional. and ecological However, while the stated intent is to focus on critical areas and stages of development, the de~~elopmental tone is sometimes missing. Frequent generalizations about children make it difficult to determine the child’s age or developmental period and leave the reader with a fragmented rather than a developmental conceptualization of the child. Perhaps this is partly due to the topical organization of the book and partly to the author’s meticulous attention to detailed descriptions of cross-cultural research. The emphasis on detail, coupled with the tediously uniform writing style, occasionally gives the book an encyclopedic flavor. Nevertheless, the author has done a superior job of referencing the book with up-to-date, comprehensive, and relevant information. It is difficult for the reader to get lost in the voluminous studies because of periodic summaries within and concluding the chapters. The summaries provide the continuity and clarity that the author intended. Moreover, the book successfully achieves its goal of providing the reader with, “a balanced view of the key issues that are of significance in the cross-cultural study of children and that present a challenge for future research and social action” (p. 4). This book is suitable for advanced students in child development, human development, developmental psychology, and psychological anthropology. It is also an excellent handbook for teachers, researchers, and other professionais who work with children or youth services.