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There Are No Children Here

The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America

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There Are No Children Here

By: Alex Kotlowitz
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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About this listen

This New York Public Library selection, as one of the 150 most important books of the 20th century, is a true-life portrait of growing up in the Chicago projects.

This national best-seller chronicles the true story of two brothers coming of age in the Henry Horner public housing complex in Chicago. Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers are 11 and nine years old when the story begins in the summer of 1987. Living with their mother and six siblings, they struggle against grinding poverty, gun violence, gang influences, overzealous police officers, and overburdened and neglectful bureaucracies. Immersed in their lives for two years, Kotlowitz brings us this classic rendering of growing up poor in America’s cities.

©1991 Alex Kotlowitz (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Americas Black & African American Children's Studies Education Social Sciences Sociology United States Urban Chicago

Critic reviews

“A triumph of empathy as well as a significant feat of reporting.” ( Los Angeles Times)
“Alex Kotlowitz’s story informs the heart. His meticulous portrait of the two boys in a Chicago Housing project shows how much heroism is required to survive, let alone escape.” ( New York Times)
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The narration captures the voices of tbe characters so well. Beautifully written and read. This book offers an insight into the African American experience of living in the projects and everything that comes with it.

Great insight into the African American experience

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