Stand by Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today's Youth »

Jean E. Rhodes is Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

A child at loose ends needs help, and someone steps in—a Big Brother, a Big Sister, a mentor from the growing ranks of volunteers offering their time and guidance to more than two million American adolescents. Does it help? How effective are mentoring programs, and how do they work? Are there pitfalls, and if so, what are they? Such questions, ever more pressing as youth mentoring initiatives expand their reach at a breakneck pace, have occupied Jean Rhodes for more than a decade. In this provocative, thoroughly researched, and lucidly written book, Rhodes offers readers the benefit of the latest findings in this burgeoning field, including those from her own extensive, groundbreaking studies.

Outlining a model of youth mentoring that will prove invaluable to the many administrators, caseworkers, volunteers, and researchers who seek reliable information and practical guidance, Stand by Me describes the extraordinary potential that exists in such relationships, and discloses the ways in which nonparent adults are uniquely positioned to encourage adolescent development. Yet the book also exposes a rarely acknowledged risk: unsuccessful mentoring relationships—always a danger when, in a rush to form matches, mentors are dispatched with more enthusiasm than understanding and preparation—can actually harm at-risk youth. Vulnerable children, Rhodes demonstrates, are better left alone than paired with mentors who cannot hold up their end of the relationships.

Drawing on work in the fields of psychology and personal relations, Rhodes provides concrete suggestions for improving mentoring programs and creating effective, enduring mentoring relationships with youth.

Library Journal

With over two million young people now involved in an adult volunteer program and further growth expected, mentoring is an important topic. Here, Rhodes (psychology, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston) well summarizes the results of her decade-long analysis, as well as other studies (e.g., the Public/Private Venture's survey of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America) of what exactly makes youth mentoring programs effective. Mentors, she found, can greatly support at-risk adolescents in three important ways: enhancing their social skills, improving the cognitive skills through dialog and listening, and serving as a role model and advocate. However, those not up to the difficult task of forming an emotional bond can actually harm more than help. Demonstrating strong research and writing skills, Rhodes also defines mentoring, discusses some of the social and political factors that have heightened interest in mentoring, reviews the risks of these relationships, highlights some of the lessons from behavioral therapy that might be profitably applied to mentoring, and makes recommendations for further research. Highly recommended for all academic libraries supporting the social sciences. Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.