text: A pathbreaking work in women's history and the history of deviancy, this book argues (if not entirely convincingly) for a new interpretation of the history and relationship of girl delinquents and women reformers. Odem  traces the history of middle class women reformers towards sexual  delinquency by young girls through the particularly rich case history of  Los Angeles County. Noting the diverse cultures in L.A. (white, working  class, Hispanic, African-American) Odem argues that many girls who became  labeled "wayward" were acting out against oppressive and  repressive families who held old-fashioned and patriarchal views of girls'  sexuality. Odem also explores the eventually oppressive route that  reformers took in "retraining" wayward girls
  