OUR AMERICALife and Death on the South Side of

ChicagoLeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman with

David Isay

Book Review by Nicole DerbyshireEDU 6525 Culturally Responsive TeachingTracy Williams, Ed. D.

Book Review Rationale

The journey to becoming a culturally sensitive teacher began with an examination of myself as a culturally sensitive individual. My life experience lacks culturally diverse experiences. Academic analysis of minority relations and experience is one tool to deepen my empathy and understanding of other cultures. Experiencing another’s reality through their own words provides an even more powerful perspective. I was intrigued to read the life experiences of two boys living in abject poverty in Chicago’s ghetto.

What is the perspective of the authors?

LeAlan Jones was 13 years old and Lloyd Newman was 14 years old when David Isay gave them a tape recorder hoping that their voice could illuminate issues of race and ethnicity in the city of Chicago. Lloyd lived in, and LeAlan around the corner from, the Ida B. Wells housing project in south Chicago.

What is the stated purpose of the book?

In the introduction, David Isay notes the deteriorating and often tragic circumstance of life in the ghettos of American cities. The struggle taking place for many Americans is shielded behind fences of denial, apathy and ignorance (my words). Isay writes, “It’s my hope that this work might help begin to tear some holes in these fences, allowing the rest of the country to meet a few of the people who behind them. Magnificent people blessed with the remarkable human capacity to adapt to the bleakest of circumstances.” (1997, p. 22)

How is the book structured?

The book is written from hundreds of hours of audio recordings taped by LeAlan and Lloyd in 1993, 1995 and 1996. LeAlan editorializes and leads the majority of the interviews with the members of the boys’ community. In 1993 LeAlan and Lloyd provide a

glimpse inside their reality. In 1995 the boys investigate the tragic

death of 5 year old Eric Morse at the hands of two other boys in the community (ages 10 and 11).

LeAlan and Lloyd record a final set of interviews together in 1996.

Lloyd and LeAlan interview: other children, adults, police officers, school principals, and teachers. The record of these discussions paints a picture of the universal human experience, love and loss through hope and despair. LeAlan’s words in the last chapter present the main argument more eloquently than I could summarize.

We live in two different Americas. In the ghetto, our laws are totally different, our language is totally different, and our lives are totally different. I’ve never felt American. I’ve only felt African-American. An American is suppose to have life, liberty, prosperity, and happiness. But an African-American is due pain, poverty, stress, and anxiety. As an African-American I have experienced beautiful things, but the majority of the things I’ve experienced are not beautiful. And I don’t even have it as bad as most- there are millions of young men and women living the struggle even harder than me. As children, they have to make day-to-day decisions about whether to go to school or whether to go on the corner and sell drugs. As children, they know that there may not be a tomorrow. Why are African-American children faced with this dilemma at such an early age? Why must they look down the road to a future that they might never see? What have my people done to this country to deserve this?

(Jones, 1997, p. 199)

Research Base The opportunity for Lloyd and LeAlan to

share life stories from their community was grown from an idea for a contribution to a documentary called Chicago Matters on public radio station WBEZ.

All of the boys interviewees are relatives, neighbors or people who work in their community.

Strengths and weaknesses? 

The book gave me perspective from a variety of viewpoints with which I can only begin to empathize. Vicariously experiencing this other reality was my purpose for reading the book. In serving that purpose, in an engaging and at times heartbreaking way I can find no weakness.

Usefulness?  Significance?Implications for your teaching, setting your current teaching practices. some goals for things you want to refine, implement, discuss, consider…

Many of the thoughts shared in interviews with educators were thought provoking and were one way for me to feel a personal connection with the stories. The boys principal shared that one of her biggest

challenges is convincing students that they can be successful in life and that someone believes in them. *Note to self: If she can remain optimistic how can I afford doubt?!

The Special Education Teacher who worked with one of the boys who pushed the 5 year old out the window lamented the ways in which she felt the school system had failed. How had he been passed on to the fifth grade but couldn’t read and what if she had worked harder to communicate with him. *Note to self: Teach with a sense of urgency and with out regrets!!

Usefulness?  Significance?

Some of my students have faced challenges and struggles in their young lives while thankfully, most can no better imagine the life of LeAlan and Lloyd than I can. One connection we can all see is the value of empathy and relationships in our interactions with others. LeAlan writes, “Get the teachers to put more

emphasis on teaching them how to love and respect one another before they start teaching them how to add and subtract- because if the kids are violent and show no respect, how can they learn anything?” (1997, p. 155)

Jones, L. & Newman, L. & Isay, D. (1997). Our America: Life and Death on the

South Side of Chicago. New York, NY: Scribner