There Are No Children Here Essay - 978 Words

There Are No Children Here Alex Kotlowitz was a freelance journalist. In 1985 a friend came to him and asked him to write a text for a photo essay he was doing on (children living in poverty) for a Chicago magazine. That is when he met the Rivers brothers, Lafeyette, age ten, and Pharoah age seven. He spent only a few hours with them interviewing for the photo essay. Lafeyette had an impact on Kotlowitz. When asked what he wanted to be, Lafeyette responded with If I grow up, Id like to be a bus driver. Meaning, at ten years old, he wasnt sure if hed make it to adulthood. In 1988 Kotlowitz suggested to the boys mother, LaJoe, the idea of writing a book about Pharoah, Lafeyette and the other children in the neighborhood.†¦show more content†¦For the children there was a playground with swings and jungle gyms. The bricks were smooth, the windows were shimmering, and the walls were freshly painted white. The adolescents joined boys and girls clubs, marching bands, and other constructive organiza tions. Now things are different. The remnants of grass are dry brown patches, mostly dirt. Where there was once a playground, there is now a shooting. The bricks are now worn and tattered. The windows are either translucent or broken. And the walls are no longer white, rather a dull, yellowish color. Worst of all, instead of joining boys and girls clubs, the adolescents joined gangs. At the Henry Horner Homes, it was the Conservative Vice Lords that reigned. Led by Jimmie Lee, the gang was in charge of the project. Lafeyette and Pharoah knew all about Jimmie Lee. They knew to keep their distance, but Lee was not solely a villain. To outsiders he was merely a criminal, involved in drug-traffic, home invasions of dope flats, and other crimes. To the residents of the project, Lee was respected out of more than just fear. He never let young teens join his gang. He spoke to kids against gangs and drugs. He would put food on tables for families in need. He would shoe the children with torn shoes. Even a police officer referred to Lee as a gentleman. He had a love for children and really helped the kids at Henry Horner Homes. On the other hand,Show MoreRelatedThere Are No Children Here Essay2507 Words   |  11 PagesThere Are No Children Here The book â€Å"There Are No Children Here† follows the life of two young boys, Pharoah and Lafayette as they battle everyday life in the dangerous neighborhood of Henry Horner. Many of the life events of Pharoah and Lafayette’s book â€Å"There are no Children Here† can be tied to lessons in the book of â€Å"Juvenile Delinquency.† Some of the more prominent themes are macro level theories, critical theory of labeling, juvenile justice system, and drugs and gangs. In this book summaryRead MoreThere Are No Children Here2082 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Chicago Slums: The Other America† Children are great imitators. 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The book focuses on Lafayette and Pharaoh, two of the younger children in the family, and their interactions with each other, the neighborhood, their family, their friends, and the police. Following the family over three years shows the importance of neighborhood factors when it comes to crime. According to Sampson and Groves (1989)Read MoreThere Are No Children Here By Alex Kotlowitz Essay1909 Words   |  8 PagesThere Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz tells the harrowing story of the Rivers family and their shocking experiences living in an underserved Chicago public housing project. The story focuses on Lafayette, a middle school aged boy discovering his identity, Pharoah, an elementary school aged boy with high ambition and goals, and their resilient mother LaJoe. Matza’s Techniques of Neutralization discuss how people can create rationalizations to justify d elinquencies and crimes. Specifically applicableRead MoreThere Are No Children Here Essay examples1767 Words   |  8 PagesAlex Kotlowitzs book, There are No Children Here, is a story about two boys, Pharaoh and Lafeyette Rivers growing in the late 1980s in Henry Horner, a housing project in Chicago. The boys try to retain their youth while they see constant gang violence, death of close friends, their brother in jail and their dad struggling with a drug addiction. In Horner, there are two gangs that claim it as their turf, and the Rivers family is constantly ducking from shots of gunfire there. They live in