Pushout

The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

By: Monique W. Morris

Narrated by: Kristyl Dawn Tift

Fifteen-year-old Diamond stopped going to school the day she was expelled for lashing out at peers who constantly harassed and teased her for something everyone on the staff had missed: she was being trafficked for sex. After months on the run, she was arrested and sent to a detention center for violating a court order to attend school. Just 16 percent of female students, Black girls make up more than one-third of all girls with a school-related arrest.

The first trade book to tell these untold stories, Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the growing movement to address the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures. For four years, Monique W. Morris chronicled the experiences of Black girls across the country whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged - by teachers, administrators, and the justice system - and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Morris shows how, despite obstacles, Black girls still find ways to breathe remarkable dignity into their lives in classrooms, juvenile facilities, and beyond.

©2016 Monique W. Morris (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Morris's work, buttressed by appalling statistics and scholarly studies, is supplemented by two useful appendices...and a list of community resources." (Publishers Weekly)

Overview

The story was very informative and sad. I did not like the reading by the author, as I wish she would have had someone else do the voices of the girls. But the book was good and I'm going to be doing a screaming in my community.

Insightful and informative

As a father of 2 young black girls this book helps me help them deal with the outside worlds influences and how they can and will be perceived in life. The Indian was good often repetitive but relevant. Appendix A is a must use guide.

Wish I Had Found this sooner

Loved the detailed personal narratives and facts. My favorite however were the suggestions and proposed solutions from each individual standpoint in the end. This should be a must read even in 2025.

Necessary read for all educators

This should be standard reading for all educators, especially those serving disenfranchised youth. I will also be buying the printed version.

I understand now

I understand so much about why Black girls do things and behave certain ways which will make me a more empathetic educator. This book made me want to go do something about all of the injustice right now!