Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol

Hyperlinks:

This article is brutal, but it shows that there are places like the Bronx in urban areas. I didn't think that the Bronx was that bad, but I was very wrong. This book tells the public exactly what they should know which is, not every place in America is lined with white picket fences and glorious dreams of success. These people are in a cycle of poverty, and are unable to get jobs and the rightful care they need and deserve in institutions such as hospitals. When I first read about the conditions of the residences and stories of people with AIDS or addicted to crack, it reminded me of a book I had read for an anthropology class. This book is titled "In Search of Respect: Selling Crack En el Barrio" and it was one of the most interesting books I have read. The author lived with his family in an apartment in East Harlem and became friends with local drug dealers. He observed their lives and wrote about their culture and challenges that the people in the neighborhood had to face. Both books have similar themes about drug addictions, poverty, prejudice, violence and lack of opportunities for the people that live in urban areas. Both books were also written in the 1990's and set in New York City.  

The hyperlink that I chose for this blog post is an interview with the author Philippe Bourgois about his work as an anthropologist and his experiences living in East Harlem. He talks about the poverty he saw and his opinions on street culture and limited amount of opportunities that these people have. His ideas are similar to those of Kozol and I think that both books can have a large impact on the reader, and can change general assumptions about urban areas and stereotypes. I found his research and experiences to be very interesting and I would recommend his book to anyone. 


http://anthropologyworks.com/index.php/2010/11/24/in-search-of-respect-an-interview-with-philippe-bourgois/

questions / sharing points : 

My question is how are these people supposed to make better lives for themselves if they aren't given any opportunities and are being put into the harshest conditions and violent neighborhoods? The cycle of poverty will continue for these people and it just isn't fair. There is nothing that they can do, without the help of others in higher positions of power. Clumping these groups in one area and forgetting about them won't solve anything,