Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kotlowitz touches on the "other America", July 1, 1999
By A Customer
For those readers who have commented that this book is boring, I have one question....is the existence of this type of devasting poverty boring and insignificant to your partiticular life? This is not a ficitional story of the hardships and struggles of the River's family; rather, it is a harsh reality that exists in our country, one of which we turn our backs and close our eyes to daily. This book is touching only if you understand and acknowledge the facts that perpetuate poverty and welfare-denpendency in the United States. I believe that the readers who comment on LaJoe's laziness are truly portraying their ignorance and stupidity in their comments. In my opinion, this book paints a vivid picture, too vivid for some, of the America that most people do not want to see. My advice for others- read this book because you will be shocked a horrified at our "land of the free." Are those in poverty truly free or are they drowning in a world that smothered them to begin with?
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most compelling read I've had in a loonnng while ..., January 24, 2006
All of the positive reviewers of this book got it right. This book paints an equally grim view of the disturbingly painful(and unfortunate given we live in the most powerful nation in the world) existence of some of those most marginalized by society. And yet, I'd call it just as equally uplifting in terms of the triumph on the human spirit.
This book is a year-long documentation of the experiences of two young boys growing up in the projects on Chicago's West Side (just a mile from the downtown loop) and their families attempts to get out, get ahead and live a better life (in essence the American dream, though this image is never called by name in the book) during the late 1980s.
The big picture you'll get from this book is the horrific and violent conditions these boys face and must cope with on a daily basis. Lafeyette, 12, and Pharoah, 9, create an interesting though loving brotherly contrast.
Given the environment, you've got little Pharoah, smart, alert and very patriotic, who buys into the belief through education he can lift himself and his family out of poverty. He's independent and stunningly focused on success at his age.
Lafeyette's like the older extreme of Pharoah though further along in life, he's starting to lose faith in the myth of the American dream given 3 significant acts : 1) a close/positive friend being mistakenly murdered by police, 2)a celebrated cousin graduating from high school only to struggle to find work, struggle to pay for part-time college classes all while STILL LIVING in the projects 3)the mental wear of just being tired of living in his conditions & being consumed by general vibe of hopelessness that surrounds him.
Perhaps the saddest part of this read is the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that most of the inhabitants hold that they'll never rise above these circumstances despite all of their attempts to do so.
Economic empowerwent, pursuit of excellence and education are pretty much at war with politics of the day, the lure of the evils of streetlife (drugs, drug selling, gang culture) and even religious faith (innocent little Pharoah actually stops believing in God b/c he doesn't think he's listening to his prayers to get them out of the projects and away from violence).
Kotlowitz does an amazing job of giving you enough color to get the full picture of just about every person he details in the book. You'll have your moments when you look at a person, perhaps judgmentally for making a bad personal decision, but you'll get to the root of a lot of the problems of these people so much so that you almost relate to them as if they're your own family/friends.
That being said you'll more than likely come away with an equal feeling of people taking responsibility for their lives/actions AS WELL AS a sense of what the government should be doing to make sure all people have the shot at the American Dream regardless of race or class -- after reading this book, set in the 1980s, you'll definitely get a sense that not providing equal resources and access to quality education can be blamed on the powers that be.
This book puts a human face on families forced to live in the most inhumane of positions in life & just goes to show that for all those critics who'll point the blame at the poor for their own circumstances, please remember there are innocent children born into this lifestyle that suffer physically & mentally on a daily basis and aren't really being given the "chance" in life they deserve.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted to care for the entire family, April 22, 1999
By A Customer
This book takes on a 'true approach' to living in poverty, especially for blacks to live in poverty. I'm a social work undergrad college student, and until I read this book, I was'nt aware of exactly how it was in poverty. Alex writings in the book, made me feel as though I was living with the Rivers and feeling their emotions. Thank you Alex for writing this excellent book. I encourage all college students to read the book, especially social work students. It really made me understand how blessed I am. Now I'm trying to see how I can get a copy of the movie, Oprah Winfrey played the mother. I didn't even know there was a movie for it. Can't wait to see it!
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