Reddit reviews Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America

First, congratulations. Father of 3.5 here (the .5 is due in August). Some scattered pointers off the top of my sleep-deprived head:

• Some "disposable" wipes can be washed and reused several times, getting fluffier with each wash. This is useful because rough cloth is often the cause of diaper rash nightmares. Those soft baby wash cloths are good in this regard too, buy as many as you can afford if you plan to use them in place of disposable wipes.
  
• Everyone knows about reading to your kids (DO IT!), but don't be afraid to sing to them too, even if you think you can't sing. This will strengthen their bond with you more as they get used to your voice (and your being comfortable around them).
  
• This is bound to be a controversial one, but I've found it to be 100% effective: if after a few verbal warnings my toddlers are still acting crazy in public i will pick them up and hold them horizontal with their right arm tucked under my left armpit, supporting them under their back with my left arm. This let's them know--in a safe way--that, as much as they'd like to think so, they are not the one in control. From here I continue to try to talk to them in a calm voice, but if they continue to freak out I blow in their face. This is the part that some people don't like, but it's safe provided they don't have anything in their mouth (it's actually what one does to teach small babies to swim).
  
• Look into the work done by Geoffrey Canada. There's a lot to ingest, especially about early education, but it's mind-blowing.
  
• Try to stay physically active, you will need the extra energy that exercise can provide. Plus it's just fun to bike/hike/run around with the offspring.
  
• I found it very useful to have music on all the time with newborn babies because the smallest amount of noise will wake some babies. Music (I like classical or jazz ballads for this) gives you some sonic cover for walking around, cleaning up and even gazing at them asleep in the crib.
  
• Touch newborns as much as you can. Bonding, yes, but it also stimulates hormones in you that will make you more empathetic and nurturing. I will say this emphatically, and with zero exaggeration: a baby sleeping on your chest is the greatest feeling in the world.
  
  So many more that aren't coming to me quickly, but I gotta get back to work. I might add to the list later.
  
  Best of luck, and enjoy every second!

I think that is the thing to do, but it would mostly only help people who aren't born yet. Kids who are teenagers and on a bad track right now are screwed (not that all kids from welfare are shitty, btw, but still).
Have you read Whatever It Takes?

To be honest, there's a lot of stuff that isn't explicitly social justice stuff that will give you the same basic information. Most of these issues have been around (and known) way prior to the recent rise in activism. Some of the books that were most useful to me were:

1. Whatever it takes by Paul Tough https://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Takes-Geoffrey-Canadas-America/dp/0547247966/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485119870&sr=8-1&keywords=whatever+it+takes
   
   
2. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Like-John-Howard-Griffin/dp/0451234219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485119901&sr=8-1&keywords=black+like+me
   
   
3. Pretty much all of the major slave narratives (Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano - there are a couple others that I can't recall right now).
   
   
4. Anything by Toni Morrison (I've only read The Bluest Eye).
   
   
5. Virtually anything by oppressed people anywhere at any time. Vaclav Havel and Ghandi are both extremely relevant and timeless.

there's tons of research showing that corporal punishment may bring a short term obedience, it is counterintuitive to healthy raising of children.
Watching ("Waiting for Superman" or reading any books about Geoffrey Canada ("Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun" or "Whatever it takes") will reveal how the Harlem Children's Zone is using that research to teach parents how to better raise their children, resulting in smarter kids that are getting out of dire straights and into college and getting better jobs.

there's "raising my kids however i want" and then there's child abuse, and its real, and its harmful, and it will end.