An "epidemic" of adolescent pregnancy? : some historical and policy considerations /

Vinovskis has published a number of previous works on matters relating to adolescent pregnancy, including papers on abortion and demographic trends in family life. He has also held various political positions in the federal government, and this work is an attempt to wed his roles of historian and political analyst. The book begins with an account of adolescent sexuality and childbearing from the Colonial period to the present. Vinovskis's essential point is that adolescent pregnancy is not a new problem; indeed, the problem peaked in the late 1950s. Present and future presidential administrations should therefore take the past into account in trying to develop policy regarding this vexing concern. There are two difficulties with this book. First, the assertion that past demographic trends should affect current policy does not address the fact that past incidence rates occurred in different sociocultural contexts. Pregnancy rates alone provide little guidance without an exhaustive contextual framework in which to interpret them. Second, can one be both objective historian and political advocate? The reader will at least know where he or she stands vis-a-vis the author-Vinovskis labels his personal observations as such. The book is well written and contains a bibliography and index. General and academic readership, upper-division undergraduate level and above.-E.J. Green, Prince George's Community College