Sometimes I lose perspective. This book gave me some back. It was a totally random pick in the library the other day and I can't get it off my mind since I read it in one sitting.
"Our America" by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman with Davis Isay
This is actually mostly a transcript of audio recordings made by two boys, once in 1993 and once in 1996. The boys were ages 13 and then 16. They were both born within a year of me, which made me sort of connect with them more. They were growing up in/near the projects in Chicago. The first section is called Ghetto 101 and just sort of details their every day life for one week. The 1996 section is them interviewing people in the neighborhood about a recent crime that got national attention- when two boys, ages 10 and 11, dropped a 5 year old boy out of a 14th story window, killing him. LeAlan and Lloyd interview the victim's family, neighbors, and family members of the perpetrators.
Originally, the audio tapes were used to create two radio documentaries, which won several awards.
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