Runaways: In Their Own Words: Kids Talking about Living on the Streets

The Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN), a shelter for homeless young people, is the source of the poignant, alarming stories collected by a freelance writer who served as a volunteer for a year. In 10 interviews we hear the unique voices and diction of runaways describing what it takes to survive on the streets. Although their reasons for leaving home vary (some were ``pushed out''), nearly all the teenagers in this book turned to prostitution and criminal activity. The few who get off the streets through such programs as LAYN are success stories in the main, but, as Artenstein points out, there is recidivism among those who cannot resist the lure of living on the edge. Interspersed among the teens' narratives are the author's perceptive evaluations of this alienated population. (July)