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77th out of 548 books
—
382 voters
Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation
The children in this book defy the stereotypes of urban youth too frequently presented by the media. Tender, generous and often religiously devout, they speak with eloquence and honesty about the poverty and racial isolation that have wounded but not hardened them. The book does not romanticize or soften the effects of violence and sickness. One fourth of the child-bearing...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 27th 1996
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 1900)
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Jan 10, 2008
Lindsay
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Lindsay by:
required reading
While the content of the book is very heart wrenching, and the statistics and the accounts Kozol provides are all very real, I hated this book. What troubles me is not the book, but its author Jonathan Kozol. Kozol motives are sincere and genuine but it always takes a sympathetic white man to expose the world. Which is almost unnerving as it is sad. On a whole, most of the white community in New York City doesn’t ever see what is happening around them; a train ride away. It’s as if the horrors o...more
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New York City slums from the perspective of the kids that live there. The author's sincere attempt to describe life for a select group of kids by compiliting the results of numerous interviews. I knew there was extreme poverty in parts of New York City (and crime, drugs, higher rates of AIDS, gangs), but I had no idea that the "public services" (schools, hospitals, parks, and city services) were so, so bad....dirty hospital rooms that patients have to clean themselves, classrooms meeting in bath...more
The crucial realities of a neighborhood’s life districted in South Bronx, New York City were told by Jonathan Kozol. Through his novel, Amazing Grace, he provided the true side and enables the wealthy privileged classes to witness the harsh conditions the poor had gone through. Because of this inequality issue which has been getting worse, readers are able to put their shoes in the lives of the poor. Such injustice drove to the huge gap between the rich and poor. More importantly, all these unfa...more
Poverty is an over arching social issue that affect people in many ways. Stress has often been associated with poverty. This relationship is explored through Kozol (1995) and his experiences with children in an impoverished neighborhood. The children he describes have bio-psycho-social risk & resilience factors in regards to stress and poverty. Stress and poverty can be put into an ecological perspective utilizing functionalist theory. Functionalist theory is limited in implementing a planed
...more
This was, hands down, one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Author Jonathan Kozol visits neighborhoods in the South Bronx, one of the poorest areas of the United States, and talks with many of the people who live there about their lives, and it is astonishing. Poverty, drugs, prostitution, gun violence, AIDS, rat infestations -- all make their home among crumbling infrastructure in neighborhoods where public safety and education are neglected by those in charge, sharing space with chi...more
This is a powerful personal study of life in the South Bronx based on the author's visits and repeated conversations with a few individuals living in America's poorest Congressional District. Most of the conversations are with religious personnel, grandmothers, and children. They all talk in their own ways of the daily impact of unprecedented levels of drug addiction, violence, and terminal illness on their lives, community, and city.
Kozol's visits and conversations occurred in the early 1990s w...more
Kozol's visits and conversations occurred in the early 1990s w...more
This book holds the several voices of those that went through severe points of their lives, ones who settled in South Bronx in the late 1990's. The neighborhoods in South Bronx were squarmed with families that constantly use violence against other people & their own family members. Sickness. Diseases. They spread becuase of the lack of sanitary. This is another thing that drags a family down. The stories these people speak of talks about unfair treatsments from other people, discriminateion,...more
May 18, 2013
Amanda Landers
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
physical-books
At what point do you stop writing about poor children and start helping them? I get sad when I hear these stories; if this man had enough money to go out and write a book for several months, he probably had enough money to go out and help pull a couple of these children out of poverty. He could have had fortunate friends to call on to help out these children. He could have even helped just one. Someone should have read Kozol the Starfish Story.....
The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower...more
The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower...more
Bronx’s St Ann, cry and cannot explain why, bodies burned-fetal tissue, we came here in chains and now we buy our own chains, treated with sad disrespect by own people at area schools and hospitals, why do people such disrespect, cannot blame others it is self, depression in children too, hate message of when minorities have power, correlation to Paradise Lost-hero is devil, need true help that does not keep us depressed and perpetuate condition, fair treatment by one another, I came that you ma...more
Although Jonathan Kozol wrote and researched this book almost 20 years ago (when I was just a little girl), sadly, so much of it still rings true today. The primary focus of this book pertains to the lives of children within the South Bronx. Kozol particularly emphasizes the ways in which these young children process and understand the world in which they live, as well as their places within it. Whenever I'm reading, especially nonfiction texts, I often highlight quotations that I feel are signi...more
Through the words of many children, and parents, Amazing Grace reveals the painful lives of those who settled in South Bronx in the late 1990s. The neighborhoods in South Bronx were soared with impoverished families who constantly faced brutal violence and sickness. The stories of these people resonate with the unjust treatments and inequalities the poor received throughout the world. Giving countless touching examples of intelligent children and hardworking adults who resigned to the atrocities...more
Amazing Grace is a book about the South Bronx by JOnathan Kozol. It illustrates all of the problems in the South Bronx in the 1990's, especially ones that relate to drug abuse and child injuries. During Kozol's many interviews with the children of the South Bronx he finds that the mentality and well-being of the youth there directly correlates with the crime rate in the area. HE finds that children here tend to feel more forgotten by the rest of the city. This book brings up a few interesting po...more
Despite having just left the "front lines" of urban education and finding little in this book surprising, Amazing Grace is a powerful read.
The book begins with transcribed conversations from urban youth, parents, and community leaders in one of America's worst neighborhoods in the nineties. Slowly, Kozol begins to translate and offer insight into their words with statistics and comparisons he finds from his research. This insight all points to the racial segregation of New York City, which resi...more
The book begins with transcribed conversations from urban youth, parents, and community leaders in one of America's worst neighborhoods in the nineties. Slowly, Kozol begins to translate and offer insight into their words with statistics and comparisons he finds from his research. This insight all points to the racial segregation of New York City, which resi...more
This book took me about 6 months to read, off and on. Its full of vignettes and stories and experiences that shed light on the life of children in the 'projects' of New York, especially Mott Haven. We follow - among others - several children, their tireless mothers, a reverend who should be made a saint, and a poet, as Kozol visits and revisits these individuals, interviews them, and now tells their stories.
By telling stories in the microcosm, Kozol sheds a damning light on the macro - the polic...more
By telling stories in the microcosm, Kozol sheds a damning light on the macro - the polic...more
This book was published in 1995 and written of people living in the South Bronx of New York. It’s written in the style of a journal more or less, and the author poses many thoughts and questions throughout the chapters that really prompted me to analyze human behaviors. The first full paragraph on page 206 made me pause and think about how often we claim we’ll never do something for various reasons, when at times we truly don’t know: “No. I’ve never done it but there’s always a first time. Don’t...more
I read this for my Social Justice program. I was near tears the first 10 pages or so, where Kozol rattles off facts and figures about the horrendous lives of the residents of the South Bronx. The stories of these people are riveting, as are their unvarnished, matter-of-fact views on what the causes of their problems are. The individuals and groups who are trying to help this area are exhausting themselves just trying to plug holes. It's horrifying that people live like this in our country and di...more
I appreciated the way Kozol wove together narratives expressed by the people of Mott Haven themselves. His study is a far cry from typical sociological studies of poor urban communities, but thats part of why I liked it so much. It is accessible and lacks the academic jargon that turns so many people away from university press-published books. He certainly did not cover all of his bases (cultural history of the south bronx, race relations, etc), but he excelled at what he was able to accomplish,...more
Social justice advocate Jonathan Kozol pulls no punches in this hard look at the inequalities facing children in the poorest inner city area of America: the South Bronx. And yet the book is heartwarming and, oddly enough, inspiring. Kozol paints a beautiful portrait of the children he meets, as well as several families. He puts a face and a name to poverty, and makes it hard to look away. There are no answers in this book: only questions for our politicians and our policy makers. Anyone who beli...more
Very powerful read about the conditions in the South Bronx in the mid-90s. As someone who donates frequently to charities that work with the poor in other countries, I am somewhat ashamed after reading this book to realize that I've never considered working with, or donating to, organizations that work within inner city communities. I plan to change this ASAP. I would love to read an updated version of this book that answers the questions, "have things changed in the neighborhoods this author wr...more
I think this book would have had much more of an impact if I'd read it back in 1995 when it was first published. The cold sad truth is that these stories are now all-too-familiar in many impoverished neighborhoods around our nation including in my own city of Birmingham, Alabama. Although I have not studied the statistics, my gut tells me that the income gap between the poorest poor and the richest rich in New York City has widened substantially since this book was written. The New York Times, h...more
Poverty, Have you ever wondered about what some children are going through in the world? Have you ever see those commercials like Feed a children? It's really depressing to see kids go through poverty and this is what this book is all about. Johnathan Kozol describes the life of families that are living in the southern bronx in Nyc and going through hardship.
This book is more like a documentry to me of families just getting interviewed about their life. The usual problems are Drugs, and money....more
This book is more like a documentry to me of families just getting interviewed about their life. The usual problems are Drugs, and money....more
This book Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol is one of the greatest books that has received many awards. It was in the New York Times as a highly recommended book. It takes place in America's very own New York City, where people witnessed poverty and the rough times in life. He shows the side of life that people tend to avoid and it just explains to you all the hardships people go through to live a decent life. He also shows you just how unfair the world is, and how badly people have suffered and...more
Kozol weaves together the tragic and often inspiring stories of Mott Haven’s families and, along the way, builds a strong case against the all-too-common practice of isolating the poor in urban ghettos. As both the author and the subjects of this work eloquently articulate, segregation is bad for the poor and even more damaging to the nation’s spirit. The accounts in Amazing Grace highlight the desperate conditions in these impoverished areas, the inherent inequalities of segregation, and the re...more
I had to read this book the summer before going to freshman year of college at HOly Cross and I fell in love with it.
Again, Kozol is one of my writing heroes...and his style is easy to read and full of details that really help you understand his point of view.
Here's what the publisher said about this book:
The children in this book defy the stereotypes of urban youth too frequently presented by the media. Tender, generous and often religiously devout, they speak with eloquence and honesty abou...more
Again, Kozol is one of my writing heroes...and his style is easy to read and full of details that really help you understand his point of view.
Here's what the publisher said about this book:
The children in this book defy the stereotypes of urban youth too frequently presented by the media. Tender, generous and often religiously devout, they speak with eloquence and honesty abou...more
I had to read this for a night class where we were to finish it within the span of a week. Being busy with other things, I had two days to start and finish it. I'm literally exhausted from it. This book is powerful, emotional, depressing, macabre and at times even joyful and uplifting. The children that Kozol speaks with are remarkably brilliant and eloquent in their thoughts. Some of them have reached a maturity in their thinking that I don't see in most adults I know. The women and few men tha...more
Oct 14, 2011
Jillian
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jillian by:
Lisa Bloom
Shelves:
depressing,
politics
The courage of the underprivileged children interviewed is truly moving. Reading about schools with lead paint, and children living on cold oatmeal will sober any cynic who hasn't been to a poor school or neighborhood. This book reminded me of taking my CBEST at a terrible elementary school in LA, with posters ripped in half on walls, lockers without doors and tiny prison-like windows. It looked like something from Law and Order and I never forgot it.
I'll never forget this book about the childre...more
I'll never forget this book about the childre...more
Jun 10, 2009
Elaine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in children
Recommended to Elaine by:
I had read shame of the Nation
A narative expose. Again, J.K. ravels among the children in the south bronx. He sees their beauty and their promise -and the hopelessness. They are caught in the web of prejudice, poverty and neglect. The big neglect here is from the city of New York
I have since had conversations with a friend who teaches in a juvenile detention center. He doesn't think those kids have a prayer. I disagree with him for many reasons. I think we need to believe in kids - each individual one.
I have since had conversations with a friend who teaches in a juvenile detention center. He doesn't think those kids have a prayer. I disagree with him for many reasons. I think we need to believe in kids - each individual one.
Amazing Grace, by Jonathan Kozol was very inspirational. It's an eye opener, and really made me think. Kozol writes about the experiences had with people from the bronx. The environment that people from that society had to deal with was outrageous, and terrible. This book holds a lot of direct quotes, and situations that happened right before the author. The book is really well written, and well explained.
This book makes me want to go out and help those living horribly, and are put into areas t...more
This book makes me want to go out and help those living horribly, and are put into areas t...more
I will tell you up front that if you are someone from the white middle class of America, this is an uncomfortable book to read. And for that reason alone you should read it.
In this wonderful exploration of life in the South Bronx and Harlem— the ghetto of New York City—Kozol poises the question “How does a nation deal with those whom it has cursed?” He delves into the bleak circumstances of the residents, the shocking inequalities between the resources and facilities available to black and Hispa...more
In this wonderful exploration of life in the South Bronx and Harlem— the ghetto of New York City—Kozol poises the question “How does a nation deal with those whom it has cursed?” He delves into the bleak circumstances of the residents, the shocking inequalities between the resources and facilities available to black and Hispa...more
A terribly heartbreaking must-read. In a first world country lies a city left forgotten in a midst of racist and classist segregation. Kozol is admirable because he is not only sympathetic to the people he meets but creates something much more as he wanders the ghettos of New York and speaks with its citizens who recount their stories of disease, poverty, crime and the desperate cries that go unheard. Please read this. It is worth every minute.
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Jonathan Kozol is a non-fiction writer, educator, and activist best known for his work towards reforming American public schools. Upon graduating from Harvard, he received a Rhodes scholarship. After returning to the United States, Kozol became a teacher in the Boston Public Schools, until he was fired for teaching a Langston Hughes poem. Kozol has held two Guggenheim Fellowships, has twice been a...more
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“A dream does not die on its own. A dream is vanquished by the choices ordinary people make about real things in their own lives...”
—
20 people liked it
“You have to remember. . .that for this little boy whom you have met, his life is just as important to him, as your life is to you. No matter how insufficient or how shabby it may seem to some, it is the only one he has.”
—
17 people liked it
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