All God's Children

November 27, 2006
Denfeld brings to light the elaborate structure and culture of the "families" that harbor the reported 1.5 million teenagers living on the streets of the U.S. Based on a decade of research, his intimate portrait of this fantasy-fueled, violent subculture—populated almost exclusively by teens from white, middle-class homes—is gory and shocking. He spares no details in describing cold characters, cultish rituals and murders, often from the perspective of those involved. Though the anecdotes are intriguing, and Denfeld brings some perspective to the psychology of these street families, he doesn't evaluate the larger cultural forces that have brought them together or their effect on society. Still, this is a powerful study of the dramatic measures that a growing number of lonely teenagers will take to feel like they belong.