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

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Summary: Portrayal Of Inner City Projects
Review: "It wasn't just her home that was crumbling; the neighborhood was too. It was all the perfect metaphor, LaJoe thought, for what was happening to her spirit" (p. 241). There Are No Children Here is a story about a family who grows up in a housing project in inner Chicago that battles greed, violence, racism and poverty day by day. This book portrays the struggles and the great efforts that exist, not only in the housing projects in Chicago, but in all of the United States. Neighborhoods crumble and so do so many families. In a society of violence and hate, there is less and less hope that the people living in these communities will achieve a life of success and triumph.

There Are No Children Here was a remarkable and outstanding book that captured the emotions and feelings of children and adults alike who was battling the brutality and hostility of the neighborhood surrounding them. Although, Kotlowitz was able to capture the many moments of despair in this family's life, as they were living in the Henry Horner Home, he was also able to capture the rare but triumphant moments in their lives as well.

Growing up in a community of hatred and poverty, many of the residents in the Henry Horner projects became untrusting and apprehensive of the people around them. "His face masked his troubles. It was a face without affect, without emotion. Sometimes he appeared stoic or unamused. In an adult, the hollowness of his face might have been construed as a look of judgment. But in Lafayette it conveyed weariness. Even in its emptiness, it was an unforgiving face. He was an unforgiving child" (p. 55). Even though Lafayette's age would assert that he was a child, he has seen too much to be considered a child. He has seen too much and due to all that he has seen, he was unforgiving of many others. "It was a period during which Lafayette didn't seem in touch with himself; his anger and sorrow were tangled inside him, his moods shifting wildly" (p. 215). The sorrow and pain that Lafayette has been through is so much more than a large amount of society can grasp. The characters in this book come across many obstacles in their life, yet they all have different ways of dealing with them. "Shutting out the past was perhaps the only way he could go forward or at least manage the present" (p. 209). I believe that society sometimes forgets that these kids who live in these "projects" are still just kids. "There were moments - like the time a fifteen-year old boy who was on trial for mugging people with a fake gun burst into tears in his mother's arms - when Anne was reminded that whatever their misdeeds, they were still just children" (p. 291). Gangs, hatred, and violence are going to influence children and will cause these children to commit bad deeds but we must always remind ourselves that no matter what was done or committed they are still just children.

Racism was seen a great deal of times throughout the book. "For the first time, Pharaoh, now ten, began to wonder aloud about being black. 'Do all black people live in projects?' he asked his mother. 'Do all black people be poor?' ....'Why don't people elect black people?' The incident at the stadium had unnerved him. He felt that 'the police probably don't like black children or something. The white police don't like black children. That's what I believe.'" (p. 161). Many people living in the Henry Horner Projects did not receive the same respect and did not get the same privileges that other people got because many people were prejudiced. Majorities of the people living in the Henry Horner Projects were black and poor. These two groups of people were looked down upon by society because they lacked money and were black, two things they had very little control over.

Not only did the residents of the Henry Horner Project feel this racism and hatred from the majority of the society but they felt this from the police as well. The police were suppose to be there to protect them and uphold their rights, yet, it seemed as though not even the police could stay unbiased toward the children and people at the Henry Horner Projects. "Lafayette later recalled that one of the policemen had warned him he could get hurt out there at night. 'I've been living around here all my life and I ain't got hurt so far,' he told the officer. 'Only the police have hurt me'" (p. 161). At Horner, the residents could not depend on the police for justice, "They chose to render justice for themselves" (p. 225).

There Are No Children Here portrayed and depicted the many issues and problems concerning inner city projects in our nation. There are many times that society looks down and frowns upon the people and the crime committed in these projects but I think that we need to realize that a majority of the people living in these projects are still children. Children that in a sense, grows up too fast. Kotlowitz wrote an amazing and breathtaking book about the problems that arise in these projects, as well as the voices of the children in the projects that we rarely hear, and often forget exist. These children often have dreams and hopes, which of many, we, as a middle class society, already have and take for granted. "I was gonna make a wish,' he said. 'Hope for our family, like get Terence out of jail, get a new house, get out of the projects.' When he disclosed his appeal, he had to stop talking momentarily to keep himself from crying. It hurt to think of all that could have been" (p. 285).

Rating:
Summary: This will break your heart
Review: I just finished reading this book. I would love to know where this family is now that it has been ten years. It really makes you think about how well so many of us have it and how much we take for granted. Pharoah and Lafeyette will be in my prayers!

Rating:
Summary: There Are No Children Here
Review: Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here, is a novel about two young African American boys who are stuggling past hardships in order to survive in the inner city. Alex Kotlowitz captures the moments of brightness and hope through the meticulous portraits of the characters. Many strengths exist in the book in regard to plot yet there were also some petty weaknesses. Alex Kotlowitz was able to lure readers into his novel by allowing us to feel sympathy towards the characters due to the pain and suffering they faced. Racism, poverty, and violence were a reoccurring theme throughout the entire story emphasizing the problems faced on the other side of the world.
The weaknesses of the book resulted from Alex Kotlowitz's in depth explanation of the different projects near the boys home, which went on for several chapters. Besides these weak points, Kotlowitz allowed the readers to see how the particular surroundings had affected the kids. Alex Kotlowitz was able to entice the reader to become involved in the novel due to the storyline, which could be easily comprehended by any individual. He focused on the violence, poverty, and racism faced by the two young boys, which is a pertinent issue that many still face today. Through conflicts and hardships, Pharoah was able to figure out what he intended to do with his life, but Lafie unfortunately gets lured into gangs. The gang shootings and deaths that had become regarded as part of normal life made Pharoah more vulnerable, and he slowly drifts away into his own world. Lafie feels as if it does not matter whether you are good person or not because death was unevitable in his community, and therefore he loses hope in life.

Rating:
Summary: There Are No Children Here
Review: In this book, Kotlowitz vividly displays life in a housing project located on Chicago's west side. The story centers on two young brothers, and their constant struggle to survive, and retain some form of a normal childhood life amid the horrors that surround them. Kotlowitz emphasizes the brutal violence that pervades every aspect of the boys' lives, making the point that it is impossible for even the youngest child in Horner to avoid some brushes with death. The story goes from disappointment to bitter disappointment, showing how at every point life seems to be improving, project life still manages to pull the family back down. Even the hardest, most fiercely right-wing social Darwinist should be moved by the seemingly hopeless plight of at least the two youths, if not the mother and other figures of the book as well. On another level though, the author has not created a mere sentimental cry for help. Although the emotion is apparent (Kotlowitz admits that some may argue that he has crossed the border of journalism by becoming too involved, then skillfully dismisses the claim), his well-written account goes further by attempting to understand, analyzing the factors behind the story, relating not only to Pharoah and Lafeyette, but to all inner city populations. Extensively researched, the book contains a great deal of Chicago history, attempting to show why the sad situation has come about, and why the vicious circle of inner-city poverty is so inescapable. This combination of a touching story and a perceptive analysis make the book a valuable insight into a little understood segment of our population

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Summary: Absolute Left-Wing Propaganda
Review: Well one of the reasons "there are no children here" is that there are no fathers here. This book is explotative in both the children written about and the role of fathers in general. Barely mentioned, the role of the father is fully dismissed. Rather, society and lack of government intervention is blamed for all the problems of these two young boys. There is no emphasis on personal responsibility nor is there an effort to offer alternative solutions for resolving the plight of similar youths. In short, this is a maudlin, contrived attempt to emotionally manipulate the weak minded individual and duping them into believing that only gov. programs could possibly help.

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Summary: Dream Deferred
Review: Powerful, honest, and disturbing, this stunning view of inner-city life reveals the grim circumstances of two young brothers growing up in Chicago. Kotlowitz writes with startling clarity about Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers, and their daily struggle to retain their childhood--addressing a topic commonly ignored. This 1991 response to Langston Hughes question, "What happens to a dream deferred?" should catalyze a national response. This account is so shocking, it seems unreal.

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Summary: Great details!
Review: This book gives the perfect amount of information. A lot of books just skim over the details. I like examples and real stories. I am hooked on this topic now. I read a lot of inner-city books now, but none can compare. I grew up as middle-upper class in a small town, completely sheltered from what this book reveals. I learned so much, and it was so well written.

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Summary: What an eye-opener!
Review: Okay, I'll be honest. I really don't have much to compare this to. I've lived in Chicago all my life, and this is the very first time that I've learned anything about the horrible conditions at these projects. I recently got a job working right near the Stateway Gardens, and while we've had a few early work releases due to gunfire, I don't know too much about them. Well, I didn't. This book not only opened my eyes very wide, but made me very angry. It made me want to do something! Anyway, if you've never heard anything besides the usual on these projects, or if you're one of the people who think "How can people let themselves get to this point?", read this book. Believe me...you'll get a whole new perspective on things.

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Summary: Sorry to bring the average down...
Review: While I think it is very important to expose the evils of american poverty, I was not impressed with this attempt. It seemed as if Kotlowitz was wavering between a novel and a journalistic expose, and the book goes on much longer than it should. He piles on detail after detail of their horific situation until you are desensitized. There is no real reason to drag the book out for as long as he does since there is never any conclusion to the situation. Overall I just did not find this book to be enjoyable, inspirational, or particularly well written.

Rating:
Summary: There Are No Children Here
Review: There are No Children Here is an excellent depiction of life in the inner city projects. This book is about two boys growing up among the drugs, gangs, and violence of a Chicago Housing Project. The boys must grow up fast and learn how to deal with daily shootings, friends dying, drugs, as well as watching friends and family succeed only to fail because life will not let them become more then just a poor, black person living in the Projects. This story gives an accurate description as to the daily life in a housing project. The reader gets to understand what it is like to watch friends die, put a child in prison, watch the father disappoint his children when he comes around, as well how the government reacts towards the citizens in poverty. By focusing on the children the author captures the heart of the reader. It would be hard to live a life like this as an adult, but a child cannot stay a child in these conditions.