No Children Here By Alex Kotlowitz

Early in his impressive and disturbing book, "no children here," Alex Kotlowitz describes a suburban commuter train passing through West Chicago bleak slums. From a nearby housing project, who has been playing along the track of a boy, he began to cry, because he had been told that the passengers will shoot intruders. These same passengers pulled back from the window, the sniper will strike fear ghetto.

What Kotlowitz provide scene is nothing less than a paradigm of race relations in the United States today. Dialogue at the local and even physical proximity, blacks and whites largely occupied by ignorance and fear of different things. The black middle class, despite its growth, still returns at the end of the working day is generally isolated

neighborhoods. And the black population still live in poverty, generation after generation, has the fastest growing population has become a species even less sympathy eyed man. The term "bottom" by Gunnar Myrdal to create a call to social action, but has evolved into the distance and fired voguish phrase.

Henry Horner projects described in the lives of two brothers, Kotlowitz achieved victory compassion and remarkable feat of the report. From Jacob Riis, many of them who advocate social change and reformers have been portrayed reporter for the poor and unfortunate to do so. It requires a more sharp mind and heart more, to meet these people on their own terms, as people.

In many ways, after all, family Kotlowitz's book meet every stereotype "underclass." LaJoe river, 35 divorced and unemployed woman, who had eight children, the first man, she bore her husband 14, a unemployed bus driver, lost his battle against drugs and alcohol ages. One daughter is a fan. A son in prison. Another son seems to be getting there, he has been arrested 46 times 18-year-old who lives in a young, vicious drug cartels led stench housing projects. LaJoe spent part of her five children buried Insurance precious welfare benefits.

The closest focus Kotlowitz is one of two children - Lafeyette, who is 10, this book in 1987, when it ended 12 years of summer open Pharaoh, who increased from 7 to 9 to attend the minutiae of their lives He describes all the conspiracy crush them, and by extension the power of millions of their peers across the country.

His villains ranging from gang to the police, from the juvenile overburdened justice system, public housing agency in the history of racism, and, in any case, Kotlowitz hang his argument first-hand observation and in-depth research.

His point of view, I suspect, is not the responsibility from LaJoe, a woman beat deleted, but whites tend to make a judgment rhetorical question: what exactly would you do in her place?

Clever narrative impact of the opening ceremony of innocence arches, seek black snake Lafeyette and Pharaoh, and to keep as pets, to the climax, in which the family court judge convicted Lafeyette crime. Between these two poles, Kotlowitz close attention to the behavior and personality of each increment. When Pharaoh develop a stutter or Lafeyette withdraw to cynicism, it is clear that these are not just the adolescent stage. The boy is very user-friendly is beginning to crumble. "I have no friends," Lafeyette told his mother at a point. "Just colleagues. Friend, I assure you."

People do not have the confidence to know why so hard to read the river Kotlowitz account "world. Henry Horner project, once the reconnaissance troops and community gardens downtown, is the 1980s almost uninhabitable basic appliances break and keep disrepair, even once the new stoves rusty basement, surrounded by rotting animal carcasses social plan, once an array of social services have disappeared and budget cuts, and the Reagan-era safety net if nothing but the sum of its

hole.

A bunch of so-called Conservative Lords Vice-operate in the vicinity of the main business, retail, heroin and cocaine. Its leader, Jimmy Lee, a default exists as the preferred male role models young Henry Horner. While access of up to $ 100,000 a week from his drug operation, Lee taught the evils of drugs and gang his admirers, to the dollar bill and new shoes for young people in need.

Even the images show much more than the actual existence of the order. Deadly violence filled the Henry Horner - between competing drug costume, offenders and police, personal care among the various grievances. Rivers' two acquaintances gunfire burst into the family apartment in the battle. A 15-year-old friend Lafeyette's, known by the nickname of the bird legs, is executed by a gang.