There Are No Children Here : The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America

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Summary: There are no Children Here
Review: There are no Children Here is possibly one of the most touching and heartfelt stories I've ever laid eyes on. The hard part is, it is true. Being from Chicago, Illinois, it hit me even harder. Alex Kotlowitz has done a magnificent job at portraying the story of LaFeyette and Pharoah Rivers, they were (are) two very tough boys, now turned men, and I can't imagine all that they went through. This is definetly a must-read, my favorite book.

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Summary: There Are No Children Here
Review: I thought that this book did an excellent job of illustrating the types of conditions that inner city neighborhoods deal with on a consistent basis. In this particular book, the author uses two African-American boys--Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers--from Chicago's Henry Horner Homes (located near downtown Chicago) as his example to portray the struggles involved for these boys to survive their adolesence as well as their neighborhood environment. Kotlowitz demonstrates the brutality, discrimination, and the animosity that the CHA (Chicago Housing Authority), Chicago's city government, and its wealthy suburbanites has dealt with towards the lower-income, public-assisted environment located in the inner city. Kotlowitz also uses this book as a constant reminder that these public-assisted areas and the people that reside in them are still people above and beyond all else. They have voices, feelings, and expectations of living just like everyone else. Kotlowitz is saying that in order for these areas of the city to be "dealt with" appropraitely, there are many things to take into consideration. First of all, the people in the neighborhood and in the community must organize and come together to help solve their problems. For years, these inner city areas such as the Horner Homes have been under constant danger of gang violence, drug trafficking, burglaries, armed robberies,and so on and so forth. The city government, the police, and the CHA have dealt with these problems in a bureaucratic manner, or they have seldom dealt with them at all. The real problem within this system lies within the fact that these agencies have held these areas of the community in isolation "camps"--dealing with them only when necessary and rarely ever dealing with the people that live in this area on a personal basis. Kotlowitz seems to imply throughout the book that interaction and cooperation with the people in the neighborhood and Chicago's government agencies is the key to a successful turnaround in the future. The problem is that so much resentment remains. The people in the Horner Homes remember the riots in the past, the shootings in which the police have killed their own neighbors and families, and the wasted resources that the CHA and the city have had in dealing with these blighted areas. There appears to be more trust associated among the neighborhood residents with gangs than with the "good samaritans" of the community and the city's government agencies. At least the people from the gangs are people that the residents know and they are people who look at the residents eye to eye and who know thier problems. The "outsiders" who come within these areas seldomly come with the intention to work with the residents of these nieghborhoods--they are people who come to work for the people. The inner city trend in Chicago remains the same as many other large metropolitan cities of its size: the people of the inner city are moving to escape their problems rather than tackle them head on. The problem with this strategy is that it leaves these areas of the city such as the Henry Horner Homes in poor condition to defend itself from society's ills and it drains the area of its natural leaders. All that is left for this area of the city (and others like it) are its future: its children. Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers as well as many other children mentioned throughout the book illustrate how hard it is to grow up and mature in a world that moves much too fast and cares very little. This book presents at least two types of responses/methods that the children of this book learn to use to cope with the issues of their neighborhood. Pharoah's method of coping with the stress that occurs is dealt with by his insistent clinging of his childhood and his stuttered pattern of speech. Lafayette's way of "surviving" the neighborhood is to make as few friends as possible and to stay away from trouble as much as possible. In the end, both children realize that to make it through such a perilous journey of life in their neighborhood, they have to be relentless in their studies as well as in their attitudes to "stay straight." There Are No Children Here is exactly what it's title tells it to be: an example of life with out a childhood in a harsh world.

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Summary: Are You Made of Stone?
Review: Anyone who reads this book & isn't profoundly moved must be made of stone. I was fortunate to learn of this book from 'A Reader'at Notre Dame University (see review). How can we help these people break this awful poverty cycle? Can all of us who are touched by these children somehow unite & make a difference? I hope we can--I'm looking for a way.

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Summary: Opening Eyes
Review: Mr. Kotlowitz has brought to the eyes of this very sheltered and unsuspecting reader the real truths and horrors of the projects. Through the personal experiences of two brothers, both children, Kotlowitz portrays a vivid picture depicting the "slums of America". From personal observations it's easy to see that this book stirs both good and bad emotions in whoever reads it. Should I feel sorry for the young mother, LaJoe, who has eight children, as well as grandchildren, as well as friends of boyfriends of the children living in her three room apartment all surviving on welfare, or should I condemn her for the not so smart decisions she made? It's easy to point fingers when I don't have the evidence, but after reading this book, I've had to reevaluate my thoughts about the projects and whose fault it is that people live there and get lost in the downfall of their civilization. In conclusion, I suggest this book to everyone, in hopes that their eyes are opened as much as mine were.

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Summary: A Interesting and Eye-Opening read...
Review: I enjoyed this book... it does have it's faults, but the emotional power of the book and its brutal honesty is what makes it great. Pharoah's innocence (or a desire to keep it) is entertaining, while Lafeyette's loss of innocence is sad and often suspensful. If you live in or near Chicago, this book sould be on your "to read" list. It gives new insight into the true condition of the projects.

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Summary: Looking Further
Review: Yes, LaJoe Rivers has made mistakes in her life. She continued to have six children in addition to the first one that was born into a life of welfare and poverty. It can also be argued that LaJoe has not searched for a job with as much effort as some may think possible. These mistakes can be left to the judgement of those who read Kotlowitz's exploratory novel, but they are not, however, his point. The novel that I am referring to is called "There Are No Children Here". Therefore, Kotlowitz does not in any way aim to sway your opinion of LaJoe or the adults around her. The question at hand has nothing to do with LaJoe. The question and hand has to do with whether or not it is right and just for LaJoe's innocent children to be forced to live in the society of squalor that they have been born into. So, I must ask the people who share the opinion that this book is not relevant because of the mistakes made by the adults discussed to attempt to move past their initial political positions on the subject matter, and to take a closer look at the extraordinary things that Kotlowitz has accomplished in this novel. It is my opinion that no other nonfiction novel has ever moved a reader more regarding the disrupted lives of deserving children than this. I find the fact that Alex Kotlowitz, a white journalist, who initially aimed to write only one newspaper article on the family, was so moved by spending a few hours with them that he would devote three years of his life to documenting them remarkable.

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Summary: An eye-opener
Review: Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here was an extremely touching novel that spurred, in me, a different way to view housing projects. Built upon his innocent, childlike tone was an extremely harsh account of what exists in the places where many duck when they pass, the projects. This novel not only accounted true happenings, but also explored the lives of two brothers that were living through them, which exhibited the emotional side of the book. What was most effective about Kotlowitz's style of writing is that he was not aiming for the reader's pity. He did not intend for people to read his book and then to turn around and donate money to a "Pharoah and Lafayette fund." He was trying to bring about an awareness that upper, middle, and even lower class people lack. He was trying to get people to realize that these are PEOPLE, and they are living in these conditions. Yes, many may have caused it upon themselves, like LaJoe's continuing to bear children after she was already poverty-stricken, but no child or adult for that matter should be subjected to the conditions that the Rivers' family was subjected to. This is a very heart-warming book, and an extremely well-written eye-opener. I strongly suggest that anyone who is strong enough to open their eyes to the actual happenings of our society read it.

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Summary: Inside look for the inexperienced
Review: I am from a small, predominantly white town of lower middle class earnings. I, before reading this book, saw myself as the most naive of all people when it comes to the difficulties and trials faced by people of other races in any setting, let alone in the projects. This book taught me not so much that I am an expert, but it showed me how real the problem is in our inner cities. Comparatively I am from a place of privilege, and in these places people tend to think the news of the projects is so far removed from them. After reading this book though, I felt like I knew these children. I got to learn their feelings and their reactions...their joys and their pains... This book taught me a lot about how difficult this world is, and how much farther we all have to go before we can call this country the greatest place to live. A great read and eye opening!

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Summary: Character Development
Review: Interesting view of another side of America that those of us who live in suburbs do not fully understand. I wanted more character development about the two boys. There were too many brief digressions of others who were not well developed in the book (e.g., Weasel, Ricky, etc.)

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Summary: Good but author has an axe to grind
Review: This is a worthwhile read, but the author clearly is biased and shows it at every turn. While I certainly sympathize with the "children" I condemn the adults who brought these innocents into the world so that they could suffer. The mother is to blame for the strife of her sons (children) and her behaviour (having 7+ children with a drug addicted man), etc. led to their misery. This is a valuable book and teaches the lesson that there are consequences to behaviour. Children need families -- fathers and mothers -- who do their best to bring up their children.