Ginwright examines the role of community based organizations (CBOs) in the lives and development of black urban youth. The author argues that these organizations have the potential to provide a powerful influence in "how young people choose to participate in schooling and civic life." Ginwright bases his observations on a five-year study of a CBO he created in Oakland, California. The book shows readers that the lives of poor, black, urban youth are not quite as determined by locale and income as more deterministic readings have argued, and that there is real hope for positive change in these urban communities.