Amy Davidson

The children in this country who are the most vulnerable, whether because of poverty or disorganized family situations, are somehow seen as the least childlike, even when their childhoods are most in need of protection as fragile, valuable things. Instead, American children are, for example, too often (and at far higher rates than in other developed countries) tried as adults or incarcerated with them. Being tall for your age shouldn’t come with a profound price.
--Amy Davidson,

Amy Davidson is a New Yorker staff writer. She is a regular Comment contributor for the magazine and writes a Web column, in which she covers war, sports, and everything in between.