There Are No Children Here: The
Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The
Other America by Alex Kotlowitz
There Are No Children Here: The Story Of Two Boys Growing Up In The Other
America
There Are No Children Here, the true story of brothers Lafeyette and
Pharoah Rivers, ages 11 and 9 at the start, brings home the horror of
trying to make it in a violence-ridden public housing project. The boys
live in a gang-plagued war zone on Chicagos West Side, literally learning
how to dodge bullets the way kids in the suburbs learn to chase baseballs.
If I grow up, Id like to be a bus driver, says Lafeyette at one point. Thats
if, not when--spoken with the complete innocence of a child. The books
title comes from a comment made by the brothers mother as she and
author Alex Kotlowitz contemplate the challenges of living in such a
hostile environment: There are no children here, she says. Theyve seen
too much to be children. This book humanizes the problem of inner -city
pathology, makes readers care about Lafeyette and Pharoah more than
they may expect to, and offers a sliver of hope buried deep within a world
of chaos.
Features:
I found this book both rewarding and disturbing at the same time but
appreciated that it took me out of my middle class comfort zone and
reminded me that there are social and cultural inequities that continue to
cry out urgently for solutions.
Mr Kotlowitz has the ability to describe the lives of two young gentle souls
who are raised as best their mother can against a system that tolerates,
shamefully, physical surrounds and economic deprivations that most of us
can only guess at.
The author narrates his observations as he follows the children aroun d and
describes how they deal with the life they are dealt and the heroics
involved in order to do so over a two year period.
I think that the way we are shown how their loving mother has to go about
her daily life should awaken in all of us a desire to he lp in any way we can,
to find ways to ease the life of those who live in sub standard housing and
the lack of more assistance to live a more comfortable and nurturing life.
Without tackling such issues, we continue to condemn our youngsters to a
way of life that inhibits their potential and ingrains the social ills that
contribute significantly to their development.
Mr Kotlowitz,in deciding to help those youngster personally, to give them
the opportunity to study at a private school, whether they did or did not
ultimately benefit from his generosity, is an example most of us can only
dream about.
I highly recommend this book to all who may wish to gain insight into a
class in our society that cries out for understanding and assistance.
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