When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets

by Timothy Black

A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Based on an unprecedented eighteen-year study, the center of this riveting book are three engaging streetwise brothers who provide powerful testimony to the exigencies of life lived on the social and economic margins. With profound lessons regarding the intersection of social forces and individual choices, Black succeeds in putting a human face on some of the most important public policy issues of our time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Race

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was written by one of my professor’s doctoral students able Springfield Mass, a city I live very close to. Tim Black collected information for this book over eighteen years, which is almost unheard of in social ethnographies. The focus is on the lives of three Puerto Rican brother’s growing up in Springfield, but Black does a great job of showing how their lives were shaped as much by history as by themselves. Very well written and extremely well researched, this is a story of cause and effect, where poverty comes from, and how the history of the Puerto Rico and Springfield are tied together.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I would have read this if it weren't for a class, but I'm glad I did. Some pages are full of so many stats and go into detail about economics that I don't understand and aren't necessarily, in my opinion, very riveting. But the overall story of the boys' lives, particularly Fausto's experience with prison and addiction, is so important and heartbreaking. I didn't expect it to affect me as much as it did.

[Rebecca Thatcher-Murcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy Block's door stop of a tome was absolutely fascinating. Congratulations to him for sticking to this project over the years and turning in a manscript that is informative and very readable. I think at some time there needs to be a truth and reconciliation commission that really digs into the harm that colonialism has done to the people of Puerto Rico. I also highly recommend War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony which alongside Tim's book does a lot to tell the untold story about the twisted relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico and the harm that has been inflicted on the people of the island.

[Paula Galvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an informative, twenty-year study of three brothers, Julio, Fausto, and Sammy Riveria, and their transition from Puerto Rico to the U.S. The author describes the ethnic and poverty issues barring their efforts to obtain bi-lingual education, fair paying jobs, decent housing, and necessary healthcare. It was well written, easy to understand, and an eyeopener. The lack of rehab opportunities for drug users was particularly disappointing, as were the prison conditions that addicts face without clinical help. Sad to know these conditions still affect lives today and are subject to constantly changing political climates. It makes you realize how critical your participation in the voting process is.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book for those interested in the plight of people living in urban america. We are introduced to great characters and through them learn about poverty, gangs, hardship, family. It takes place in Springfield MASS and anyone living in the area and caring for people there should read this book.

[Kiana Stockwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Black’s book for a class this semester. Although it is academic in nature, the book has a nice flow and is a good read overall. I think the fact that it follows the lives of 3 young Puerto Rican brothers, amidst statistics and sociological analysis, makes it easier to digest and understand how racism-classism is institutionalized in our society.

[KappaBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great critique of he economic, social, and legal factors surrounding poverty for people of color. My only issue is that this is the first ethnography I've read where the author is extremely close to the people he studies. I just don't know how to take it.

[Steven Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an assigned reading for a class i was taking. It was torturous to get through. It shed some light on things i had not considered too deeply but overall a waste of my time.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book, spent a long time on the hold list for it at the library, and therefore feel extra disappointed that I'm giving it up. I think you have to be as immersed and devoted to racial and classist social issues as the author (an academic) is if you want to make it through the book. The sections that actually profile the lives of the main characters are regularly interrupted by extended diatribes on the inequities embedded in American society. My eyes were rolling at some of the potshots: A section on masculinity roped in George Bush and slammed him for attacking Iraq, a small country. I can think of a lot of reasons why the invasion of Iraq was misguided, but is relative national size the main one? And while we're on the subject of masculinity, how is it that in 130 pages of the book there were repeated references to the characters' ongoing "sexual conquests" but no profiles of women or discussion of how this uber-masculine aggression affected them?

I consider myself a proud bleeding heart but my interests lie more in the impact of such inequities, not in being bashed over the head with reminders that they exist. Certainly the author has no hope of convincing anyone whose politics lie in the center, let alone the right, with the approach he's taken.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a window into the lives of three Puerto Rican brothers, opening during their teenage years. This author gives us a raw glimpse into their struggles with love, drugs, and violence in a sociological study that spans nearly two decades. One of the brothers, Sammy, does a line of coke in his 6th grade classroom, older brother Fausto watched another inmate eviscerate another with his bare hands, and the eldest Julio, is the glue that holds this dysfunctional family together. I like how Timothy Black makes you care about his subjects, or you tend to care about their stories, their plight. He shows it in a somewhat sympathetic light. Unless you understand qualitative and quantitative data, which Timothy Black relies heavily on, to explain how this impoverished community is affected by economic and political forces, it can seem dry to you, but the story of the brothers is captivating. Despite them having to endure racist attitudes towards Puerto Ricans and only having meager high school educations, the brothers achieve different levels of sobriety, discipline and self-love as they grow up in Springfield, Mass in the 90s...At different times in their respective lives, they abandon street life when they discover a sense of purpose through their families, their women and work.

[Eolandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Full Title of the Book is "When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: A Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Street."

As a person who has always been interesting in sociology and the analysis involved, I was fascinated by the way Timothy Black, a professional in the field analyzed the material. As person who has grown up in one the areas he discusses in-depth, it was exciting to relate to some much of the information and analysis that was provided and at the same time come a way with such a better understanding of the many factors that have shaped Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as many other small-size cities, who have suffered major industry losses in the recent past, all around the country.

The first-person accounts of the author, as he tries to navigate territory with the brothers and others "on the street" is particularly interesting, as he an "outsider." Mr. Black never denies that fact, which is wonderful, and he does demonstrate time and time again the issues of trust, finding commonalities, and trying to make his work about something more than scholarly pursuits.

(To be continued) 7/13/11 AMS

[Elyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a blend of non-fiction and sociology. Dr. Timothy Black, a professor, spent many years with three Puerto Rican brothers and their extended family and friends. He tells their stories and includes a sociological background and context that helps the reader understand the forces that shaped the lives of these men.

The stories and information are comprehensive, but overall the book seemed dry and lacked ease and flow. I have read similar books such as American Dream by Jason DeParle and Random Family by Adrian Nicole Leblanc and found them to be much more engaging. I think Dr. Black has the elements of an excellent book, but didn't capture the level of storytelling required to make this a true page turner.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mainly read this because the men that the author chose to study come from my hometown and I wanted to see how that would be portrayed. The book turned out to be a decent social commentary regarding three Puerto Rican brothers growing up and strugling to get their lives on track. It definitely made me think about how having all these barriers in your life can keep you down sometimes no matter how hard you try. I would have rated this book a bit higher had the author not gone off on tangents discussing history and statistics as thoroughly has he had.

[Mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in a while where I really feel like I learned something. Not only did I get a tour through the lives of these brothers as they struggle to find a place to fit in both in Puerto Rico and the US but I also learned about drug addiction, poverty, education, and prison. Timothy Black does an amazing job of not just taking you through the steps of these brother's lives but he expains historically and politically what was going on during this period of 20+ years.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense, interesting read - this book follows three Puerto Rican brothers in Springfield in a unique ethnographic study. Black is a good writer and deftly weaves his anecdotl information with more harder-hitting economic data, to create a detailed, honest picture of life for Hispanic men
In Springfield from the 1990s on. I would consider this a must-read for anyone who is working in an urban area.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reveals the connection between colonialism, capitalism, racism, cultural beliefs and poverty in a Puerto Rican family. The three brothers grow up with the odds stacked against them in a poor neighborhood where selling drugs is an attractive option- sometimes the only option. Tim Black does a good job of showing how this is not a personal choice, but a societal failure.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing read. An in depth look into the inequities of our society and how people of color and different cultures manage (or not). This book will change the way you look at those who do not have the advantages of guaranteed shelter, food, education, language, status and respect in our society. I know this book will change the way I deal with people forever

[Beneath]

I hope to come back to this book someday, but for now it just failed to hold my attention. The writing is good, but it's just too much right now.

[Haonan · Rating 4 out of 5]

How American political economy fuck people's life up.

[Nicholle · Rating 3 out of 5]

school book