New York : Washington Square Press : Pocket Books, c1997.
203 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
This book is one that is being used as a major text in classes at our high school - part of an "Injustice Project" unit. I wanted to read it since I wondered if it might be dated - having been produced from 1993 - 1996 and published in 1997.
In spite of the book being 20+ years old, it was a compelling read. I really loved that the adult organizing the book, David Isay, wanted it to be the genuine work of young people who lived in the Ida B. Wells housing projects in Chicago. The book came out of an award winning WBEZ radio program Ghetto Life 101 which featured recordings and interviews made by the two young authors who were 13 and 14 years old when the project began.
I will be curious how students respond to the book. A lot has changed since the mid 90s: the high rise projects of the book have been torn down, the crack/cocaine violence has been replaced by other inner city violence, the Internet was a baby, and cell phones did not exist. A lot is still relevant though - extreme poverty and unemployment falling heavily on Black people, gun crime, wealth inequality, etc. Also the book just pulls you into the world of the the two authors - they are smart, unpretentious, honest, and aware. Also the book features great photos by John Brooks, another young man living in the Chicago projects at the time.
I am going to keep my eyes out for something similar to this book, but one that is more contemporary - something like Bus 57. However, if asked for an interesting read about inner city life in the late 20th century, I'll definitely recommend Our America.
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