The Curse of Life in There Are No Children Here :: There are No Children Here Essays

There Are No Children here The Curse of Life To most living in the Henry Horner Homes, livelihood often seems to be more of a curse than a gift. The sight of this public housing project only experience the briefest moments of joy originally the reality of their lives comes rushing back to them. This declare chronicles the lives of two boys, Lafeyette, 10, and Pharoah, 7, from the summer of 1985 to the light up of 1989. Though the boys are young, author Alex Kotlowitz adeptly conveys that these children are not children at all. They score not been allowed to live the carefree lives that most of us living removed of the projects did. Instead, very early on they became aware of their hardships and had to learn to deal with them. In their short lives, they have been to more funerals than weddings and this has simultaneously crushed their spirits and tough them.The environment in which these boys live is one of violence, drugs and poverty. Their housing is less than optimal, as the bathtub faucet cannot be shut off, the oven and kitchen sink are broken, and the quantify is often out of order. Gang activity rules these Chicago housing projects. This book gives a keen insight to someone on the outside on how intense the violence there is. Bullets riddle through the night, and frequently into the a destinyments. veneering each new day with the fear that your life could be taken forth in a second, by one of many acts of ingroup violence, leaves the residents feeling hopelessly insecure. Throughout the book, Lafeyette and Pharoah voice a strong rely to get out of the projects. However, a solution as to how this might be accomplished is never discussed. The family is dependent on welfare, so there is no extra money to be saved for alternative residence. For the time being, Lafeyette and Pharoah delineate a conscious decision to lay low and keep away form ringings and drugs so they do not become a part of the life that keeps them down. Lafeyette and Phar oah make insightful comments about how people get sucked into gang-life. They, analogous many other children and adults, are caught in the middle of despising gang activity, scarce still understanding the reasons people are involved in it. There are not many examples of tangible incentives to stay out, but to join means that you will have power, protection and money.