"Kundu draws powerful narratives from individuals who beat the odds to become successful. These strivers overcame challenges such as broken families, homelessness, abuse, and incarceration. But it wasn't simply resilience or grit that helped them. It was a combination of social and cultural supports that harnessed the inherent power of their agency"-- Provided by publisher.

Single user only

Introduction: From Seeing Roses in Concrete to Believing Schools Are Gardens -- Rugged Individualism and the Co-option of Grit -- Agency as a Foundational Sociological Concept -- The Home and Family -- The Social Environment and School Settings -- The Ever-Evolving Human -- Conclusion: Fighting the Normalization of Failure -- Appendix: Positionality, Research Design, and Conceptual Framework.