Twenty Years of Life

Why the Poor Die Earlier and How to Challenge Inequity

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Human Services
Cover of the book Twenty Years of Life by Suzanne Bohan, Island Press
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Author: Suzanne Bohan ISBN: 9781610918039
Publisher: Island Press Publication: April 19, 2018
Imprint: Island Press Language: English
Author: Suzanne Bohan
ISBN: 9781610918039
Publisher: Island Press
Publication: April 19, 2018
Imprint: Island Press
Language: English

In Twenty Years of Life, Suzanne Bohan exposes the disturbing flip side of the American dream: your health is largelydetermined by your zip code. The strain of living in a poor neighborhood, with sub-par schools, lack of parks, fear ofviolence, few to no healthy food options, and the stress of unpaid bills is literally taking years off people's lives. Thedifference in life expectancy between wealthy and distressed neighborhoods can be as much as twenty years.

Bohan chronicles a bold experiment to challenge this inequity. The California Endowment, one of the nation's largest health foundations, is upending the old-school, top-down charity model and investing $1 billion over ten years to help distressed communities advocate for their own interests. This new approach to community change draws on the latent political power of residentsand is driving reform both locally and in the state's legislative chambers. If it can work in fourteen of California's most challenging and diverse communities, it has the potential to work anywhere in the country.

Bohan introduces us to former street shooters with official government jobs; kids who convinced their city council members to build skate parks; students and parents who demanded fairer school discipline policies to keep kids in the classroom; urban farmers who pushed for permits to produce and sell their food; and a Native American tribe that revived its traditional forest management practices. Told with compassion and insight, their stories will fundamentally change how we think about the root causes of disease and the prospects for healing.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Twenty Years of Life, Suzanne Bohan exposes the disturbing flip side of the American dream: your health is largelydetermined by your zip code. The strain of living in a poor neighborhood, with sub-par schools, lack of parks, fear ofviolence, few to no healthy food options, and the stress of unpaid bills is literally taking years off people's lives. Thedifference in life expectancy between wealthy and distressed neighborhoods can be as much as twenty years.

Bohan chronicles a bold experiment to challenge this inequity. The California Endowment, one of the nation's largest health foundations, is upending the old-school, top-down charity model and investing $1 billion over ten years to help distressed communities advocate for their own interests. This new approach to community change draws on the latent political power of residentsand is driving reform both locally and in the state's legislative chambers. If it can work in fourteen of California's most challenging and diverse communities, it has the potential to work anywhere in the country.

Bohan introduces us to former street shooters with official government jobs; kids who convinced their city council members to build skate parks; students and parents who demanded fairer school discipline policies to keep kids in the classroom; urban farmers who pushed for permits to produce and sell their food; and a Native American tribe that revived its traditional forest management practices. Told with compassion and insight, their stories will fundamentally change how we think about the root causes of disease and the prospects for healing.

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