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| Plot Summary of There Are No Children Here |
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"There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz tells the story of two young African-American boys, Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers, growing up in inner-city Chicago Housing Project.
The text only covers two years of their lives, beginning in 1987. Pharoah was nine years old at the time. His brother, Lafeyette, was twelve. The boys lived in an old, neglected housing project called the Henry Horner Homes. Their mother, LaJoe, had lived there her entire life. Their father was a drug addict and neither lived with the family nor supported them financially. Their small apartment was always full of people, including LaJoe's married children and their families.
Alex Kotlowitz conducted extensive research in his writing of this text. He found court records, reports from the Chicago Housing Authority, and interviewed people who managed, worked at, and lived in the housing project. Some of these records are more shocking and saddening then the stories of the characters themselves (240-242). The basements that had once been used as meeting places were full of broken and rotted appliances, cockroaches, and dead animals. Sewage backed up and was regurgitated into the kitchen sink. LaJoe washed dishes in the bathtub for weeks until the plumbing was repaired. Crime and vandalism were rampant in the area. The police were ineffective, but even when the police did try to help, the people living in the neighborhood were too scared to talk. People who spoke out against the organized crime were quickly silenced. Gangs ruled the complex and drugs were sold from abandoned apartments. Rival gangs shot at each other and stray bullets went into the apartments.
Pharoah and Lafayette were both good kids. They were smart and tried to stay out of trouble. The boys spoke not of when they grew up, but if they grew up. Pharoah, at age eleven, told a friend that he worried every day about dying. He worried about growing up and the safety of his family. He even began to stutter, which was attributed to his nervousness. These boys wanted to be good. They tried to make good decisions. They wanted to stay away from the violence, but they just couldn't. LaJoe's son Terence was convicted of robbery and spent two years in jail. Lafayette was arrested for vandalism and robbery. He was with a group of boys who were breaking into cars and stealing purses and stereos. Lafayette was put on probation because it was his first offense."
Jeanne Milligan, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of There Are No Children Here |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Political/social rights fight
Yes
Plotlet:
- minorities fighting for rights
Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside)
- Black
Gender/Class story?
- story of lower class
If this is a culture clash:
- minority culture living in majority area
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
ethnic of society (outside)
- Black
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a kid
Ethnicity
- Black
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
City?
Yes
City:
- Chicago
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Commentary on society?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Writer's slant towards subject:
- neutral
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Is this a biography of several people?
Yes
How much dialogue in bio?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 0-25% of book
How much is philosophy rather than life story?
- 0-25% of book
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Click here for more information about this book
Alex Kolowitz Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Jeanne Milligan
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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