Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social Treatment

"Broken Homes: A Study of Family Desertion and its Social Treatment" by Joanna C. Colcord is an early 20th-century study that examines why families were abandoned and the approaches society took to handle it. Colcord challenges basic assumptions about why men leave their families, suggesting it's more than just a poor man's divorce, and instead, focuses attention on the social and emotional challenges experienced by men. To help social workers, the book uses examples and case studies to really show and explain the things that break families apart. It provides important information to help social workers support families that have been left behind and is presented in a way that sets up a fuller look at what causes family troubles.