Glen H. Elder Jr. is the Howard W. Odum Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology and research professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rand D. Conger is distinguished professor of psychology, human development, and family studies in the Family Research Group at the University of California, Davis.

"What is it about 'ties to the land' that influences the development of young people? The answers the authors provide are not only analytically compelling, but they reveal invaluable insights for solving many of the problems facing our urban and suburban school communities as they struggle to provide meaningful environments for socializing and educating our adolescents into productive adults." (American Journal of Sociology) "A welcome corrective to the literature on development, which has focused almost exclusively on metropolitan areas.... Through their careful connection of life choices to life chances in historical context, the authors offer a model of sociological inquiry worthy of emulation." (Social Forces)"