No Disposable Kids - based on the authors' groundbreaking work at Starr Commonwealth with court-ordered youths - challenges the notion of any child being “too far gone” to be helped. The authors provide profound insight into the world of these youths, not only sharing stragegies drawn from the best of resilency models (including the CCDO, Circle of Courage, and Re-ED), but also illustrating their successful use with actual cases. By reframing rebellious acts as signs of resilience, the authors uncover the natural self-righting tendancies of youths who are progressing toward normal adult development, despite adverse circumstances.

Each chapter of the book starts by telling more of Tony's story (the authors use the pseudonym “Tony” for the alleged arsonist), followed by a broader discussion of similar behavior problems some kids develop. It then outlines successful strategies for dealing with these difficult kids, including actual cases from their work at Starr Commonwealth.