NCJ Number
155816
Date Published
1994
Length
379 pages
Annotation
Written by a person who ran away from home at age 15, this volume provides advice for adolescents, runaways, parents, and other concerned persons regarding practical actions they can take to prevent and cope with runaway crises in their lives.
Abstract
In 1983, the author ran away from home. He had experience physical, emotional, and some sexual abuse from more than one perpetrator. He survived 3 months of hunger, homelessness, experiences with child molesters and the police, arrest and escape from jail, chronic drug use, and prostitution. The author left again about 15 months later, when he was 16, and since then have been back only to visit. Noting that from 1.5 to 2 million youths run away each year, the text emphasizes that this story is typical of the experiences of millions of runaways. It notes that causes of running away range from boredom to abuse and depression. Index, reading and reference lists, and lists and descriptions of hotlines and resource organizations.