Kids Off the Block, by Diane Latiker

 What would you do if your kid was hanging around with a questionable group of kids?  Most of us would probably keep our kids away from bad influences and protectively forbid our kids from spending time with them.  Not Diane Latiker.  When she saw many in her daughter's peer group getting involved with drugs, gangs, and street crime, she invited the kids into her home and spoke to them--and, importantly, listened to them.  In Kids Off the Block: The Inspiring True Story of One Woman's Quest to Protect Chicago's Most Vulnerable Youth, Latiker tells the story of how she went from being a concerned mom to Miss Diane to a nationally recognized model for outreach to urban youth.

Word quickly spread that Miss Diane's house was warm and welcoming, that she offers help with homework, pick-up basketball, and lots of snack, and that it was a respite from the pressures of the street.  Soon 10 kids turned into hundreds.  She grew in her ability to lead and manage these kids, and never was willing to give up on any of them.  One of the things I love about Latiker's story is that she doesn't sugar-coat it.  This isn't a feel-good Disney-fied version of life in Chicago.  These are kids who live in poverty, who are pressured to join a gang or be relentless bullied, and for whom dealing drugs seemed to be the only option for a better life.  In plenty of cases, she made progress with a kid and then the draw of the streets was too much.  Some kids whom she grew to love ended up dead, victims of a life they couldn't escape.

Latiker looked around her, reached out, and made a difference in countless lives.  Her example is a great reminder that when trouble surrounds us, whatever neighborhood we live in, one can cower or flee, but a better answer is to love our neighbors, take time to get to know them, and help them each to see the potential they have.  After more than a decade of loving the kids in her neighborhood, many have found a life outside of gangs and drug dealing.  Some even help her mentor the younger kids.  Her story will inspire you to embrace those around you who the world would write off.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!