As this century draws to a close and the new one approaches, the United States is still struggling with serious and persistent social problems. These troubling dilemmas, including poverty, homelessness, discrimination, and severe inequity, afflict some subgroups of the population more than others, and it is the plight of these at-risk groups.  This book provides keen and powerful insights into the problems affecting the "disadvantaged" populations of this nation. The contributors’ informed perspectives are critically important if we are to comprehend the scale and complexity of the obstacles to achieving an "equitable society" in the twenty-first century.