Life In The South Bronx And Harlem Summary

You're not going to feel good after reading this book, but you'll still be glad you did.
I will tell you up front that if you are someone from the white middle class of America, this is an uncomfortable book to read. And for that reason alone you should read it.

In this wonderful exploration of life in the South Bronx and Harlem— the ghetto of New York City—Kozol poises the question “How does a nation deal with those whom it has cursed?” He delves into the bleak circumstances of the residents, the shocking inequalities between the resources and facilities available to black and Hispanic families who live past the demarcation line, 96th Street, and the their white counterparts in Manhattan and other boroughs, and complacency that keeps things the way they are.

Despite the pictures of fear, tiredness, cynicism Kozol presents with each new individual, the AIDS patients, the grief torn mothers, the desensitized children, he manages to show the persistence of hope and the human spirit of the people of the Bronx and Harlem.