Amazing Grace

I just finished reading a book by Jonathan Kozol entitled, Amazing Grace: The Lives of School Children and the Conscience of a Nation. The book is a bit dated in that the material comes from interviews and information from the early 90s, but my guess is the majority of the situation described in his book hasn't changed. The author interviewed, researched, and basically inserted himself into the lives of many individuals living in the South Bronx in NYC. He talks to AIDs patients, preachers, children, teachers, drug addicts, mothers, fathers, drug dealers, and almost anyone you can think of. He paints a grim picture of poverty in America that is both disturbing and I should think accurate. Sometimes I think some of the material is based more on individuals emotional responses to situations, but the author does a decent job of backing up stories with factual information and even citing his own reservations and trust of people's recollections of events.

I find it hard to read this book and not want to do something. What that something is I am not sure. I sometimes think I am already doing something by volunteering and working in a urban school but often that feels more like my job than actively working to reduce poverty. Be forewarned, the book does not provide solutions. If anything it provides a bleak picture of our nation and what we are not doing to help the most in need. I definitely recommend it.