Our America

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Summary: Yong Adult Literaure Review
Review: Our America was written by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman and it was originally published in 1997 by Scribner. The book spans 200 pages in length and contains over 60 illustrations. According to Edward Fry this book is on the 6th grade reading level and the genre is young adolescent literature.
Our America is a first hand account of the struggles faced by youth growing up in a crime infested and economically challenged neighborhood. The book details the daily lives of LeAlan and Lloyd as they struggle to survive in the projects of Chicago. In the book they explore the dangers of gang activity, negative behavior, and even murder. A crucial point in the book takes place when a brutal crime erupted from an abandoned apartment in the projects that consumed the life of a little boy. Two teenagers, Johnny and Tyrone, threw Eric Morse fourteen floors to his death over an altercation in which Eric refused to steal them candy. LeAlan and Lloyd knew both the victim and the assailants, and thus began to investigate the crime and its multiple causes. This crime was instrumental in opening the eyes of America to `another America' that exists within the bounds of Chicago high rise project housing.
Our America does an excellent job of painting a picture of urban city life by showing the audience a firsthand account of the problems faced by children in poverty stricken areas. This book gives a voice to the voiceless; LeAlan and Lloyd have finally given an outlet to children who are under similar circumstances. The book, however, boasts a selection of profane language and contains far too many illustrations. Although the book has two authors, another negative aspect is that the text seems dominated by LeAlans' point of view. The authenticity of the language can also be questioned taking into consideration the ages of the authors at the time the book was written.
Although this novel has some negative attributes, Our America is an excellent novel for stimulating discussion of issues that continue to be forgotten. It isolates the mental, emotional, and physical effects of poverty on adolescents. It also serves as an inspiration to urban youth across `our' United States of America and as a testament of the ignored struggles of the ghetto.


Rating:
Summary: Stole my breath
Review: "Our America" was assigned reading for my course in Child Social Policy. It grabbed me from page one and I could not put it down until it was through (and then I read parts over again). LeAlan and Lloyd walk you down the streets of Chicago and let you have a little peek into their reality -- a world where violence and death are a part of every day life, and instead of focusing on grades in school, children must worry about survival. These young men represent so many children with talents and dreams and potential who are raised in an infertile, even poisonous environment. I wish everyone would read this book and realize that "America" shouldn't change when you cross the tracks.

Rating:
Summary: Stole my breath
Review: "Our America" was assigned reading for my course in Child Social Policy. It grabbed me from page one and I could not put it down until it was through (and then I read parts over again). LeAlan and Lloyd walk you down the streets of Chicago and let you have a little peek into their reality -- a world where violence and death are a part of every day life, and instead of focusing on grades in school, children must worry about survival. These young men represent so many children with talents and dreams and potential who are raised in an infertile, even poisonous environment. I wish everyone would read this book and realize that "America" shouldn't change when you cross the tracks.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who cares about children.
Review: As an educator on the South Side of Chicago, I found this book very enlightening. There are so many things children have to say to adults, but they so often go unheard. Here, these boys were able to be completely honest and open about their experiences in "our country". I believe this book will open anyone's eyes, and is a must read that will stay with you for a lifetime.

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Summary: A Wake Up Call
Review: For those of us who have had the privelege of growing up in the ideal setting (safe neighborhoods, competent schools, two-parent households) this is a wake-up call that not everyone is afforded the same amount of luxury. LeAlan and Lloyd, at the young age of thirteen, opened up a world many of us did not know existed. Their brave and intellectual assessment of their neighborhood is displayed frankly in their personal account documented in "Our America." This book does not sugar-coat the destructiveness of the inner city. It tackles the subject matter in an open and honest way. What an incredible account by two kids who give us all hope that one day the world will be a different, but better place.

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Summary: Still real and raw
Review: I would like to say thank you to those who took the time to read our chronicle on street life. I would like to say that communities like the Ida B. Wells still exist under the same poverty that produced "Our America". Still I thank you readers who were courageous enough to look at America through me(LeAlan)& Lloyd eyes. I would hope that you guys and gals could afford the same opportunity granted to me to some other socailly desearving and deprived child. Thank you! Thank you! Please everyone vote, and if you would like to send me and email its [e-mail]

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Summary: The voice of the voiceless
Review: If you are looking for a literary masterpiece, then this is not the book for you. If you are looking for riveting, real-life drama, read this book. LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman live in the Ida B. Wells project of Chicago. At 13 and 14 they were offered the opportunity to be journalists and to tell their stories. The book chronicles three years of their lives. They have a mission in writing this book. They want us to learn about their America, "Where we live is a second America where the laws of the land don't apply and the laws of the street do. You must learn Our America as we must learn your America, so that maybe, someday we can become one." They are pleading for those of us who don't live in the projects to find out about those who do.

Because the book is written as a script of the interviews they did, we get a sense of the real lives of the people in the projects. Alcoholism, drug addiction, violence are all a part of the everyday struggle. There are elements of hope too, found in teachers who care and a grandmother and sisters who are there for these kids.

The boys become investigative reporters as they try to find out the truth behind the murder of a 5-year-old child who was dropped from the 14th floor window of the projects by two other kids over a dispute about candy. They even talk to the attorneys and the police.

I'm glad I read Our America. I needed to hear these stories from those who rarely get an opportunity to express themselves. As someone who grew up in the suburbs, I take too much for granted.


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Summary: Heartwrenching look at reality
Review: If you don't have a feel for what it must be like to hope to dig yourself and your family out of the worst of situations and build a better life, this book should help. I've driven by at a distance from such projects and have failed to really understand what bright kids like these have to deal with . . . at school, at home, in their neighborhood . . . until I read this book. And right here in "the land of the free".

LeAllan & Lloyd are living testimonials to what must be overcome each and every day when one is in such circumstances. It makes one wonder how many others are feeling so trapped and possess such strong desires to better themselves in the midst of such tragedy.

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Summary: If you liked the "City of Joy" you'll love this book!
Review: LeAlan, Lloyd and John give readers a view of life in the projects that should stir all of us to action. Their simple and understandable conversations bring to life the problems and challanges faced by their families and neighbors.Anyone interested in learning more about the plight of the inner city should read this book. Not because it proposes any grand plans for fixing the problem, but because it gives the reader a view into a world rarely, if ever, encountered by most Americans. LeAlan, especially, has a gift for conversation that will leave readers asking "Why has this been allowed to happen?" In a country as prosperous as ours, no one should have been left to fend for themselves in this manner.

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Summary: Incredible living history book
Review: Take two boys from the worst ghetto in Chicago. Give them a microphone and have them describe their life and surroundings. This book is the result. It is appalling what conditions are like there. Imagine a toddler being dropped out of a window because of drugs. Read about the "shorties" who run drugs. This was sad and compelling drama.