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There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America (Helen Bernstein Book Award) Paperback – January 5, 1992

by Alex Kotlowitz (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A moving and powerful account by an acclaimed journalist that "informs the heart. [This] meticulous portrait of two boys in a Chicago housing project shows how much heroism is required to survive, let alone escape" (The New York Times).

"Alex Kotlowitz  joins the ranks of the important few writers on the  subiect of urban poverty."—Chicago Tribune

The story of two remarkable boys struggling to survive in Chicago's  Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex disfigured by crime and neglect.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    323 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Doubleday
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780385265560
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0385265560
  8. Lexile measure
    970L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There Are No Children Here, the true story of brothers Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers, ages 11 and 9 at the start, brings home the horror of trying to make it in a violence-ridden public housing project. The boys live in a gang-plagued war zone on Chicago's West Side, literally learning how to dodge bullets the way kids in the suburbs learn to chase baseballs. "If I grow up, I'd like to be a bus driver," says Lafeyette at one point. That's if, not when--spoken with the complete innocence of a child. The book's title comes from a comment made by the brothers' mother as she and author Alex Kotlowitz contemplate the challenges of living in such a hostile environment: "There are no children here," she says. "They've seen too much to be children." This book humanizes the problem of inner-city pathology, makes readers care about Lafeyette and Pharoah more than they may expect to, and offers a sliver of hope buried deep within a world of chaos.

Review

"An extraordinary glimpse into the lives of those struggling for survival and dignity in inner-city America."—Chicago Sun-Times

"Alex Kotlowitz’s story informs the heart. His meticulous portrait of two boys in a Chicago housing project shows how much heroism is required to survive, let alone escape."—The New York Times

"Alex Kotlowitz  joins the ranks of the important few writers on the  subiect of urban poverty."—Chicago Tribune

"Kotlowitz has achieved a triumph of empathy as well as a significant feat of reporting."—Los Angeles Times

"A powerful argument against the politics of inertia, hopelessness, and greed, and for a real war on poverty, violence, and racism in our country."—Tracy Kidder, author of Among the Schoolchildren

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0385265565
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday; First Edition (January 5, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780385265560
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385265560
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 970L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings

About the author

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Alex Kotlowitz

Alex Kotlowitz

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For forty years, ALEX KOTLOWITZ has been telling stories from the heart of America, deeply intimate tales of struggle and perseverance. He's the author of four books, including his most recent An American Summer which received the J. Anthony Lukas Prize. His other works include the national bestseller There Are No Children Here which the NY Public Library selected as one of the 150 most import important books of the twentieth century -- and The Other Side of the River which received the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Prize for Nonfiction. The American Academy of Arts and Letters honored him with the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award for his lifetime of writing “which illuminates astonishing national inequities through the lens of individual experience.”

His worked has appeared in an array of publication, including The New York Times, The New Yorker and on This American Life. His acclaimed documentary, The Interrupters, premiered at Sundance and was awarded an Emmy and a Film Independent Spirit Award. His other honors include two Peabodys, a George Polk Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. Raised in New York, he’s been a Chicagoan for nearly forty years where he lives with his wife Maria Woltjen, who runs the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. They have two children, Mattie and Lucas. Kotlowitz teaches journalism at Northwestern University.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,064 global ratings
Absolutely authentic. This book reaches in and grabs your heart.
5 Stars
Absolutely authentic. This book reaches in and grabs your heart.
I sent this book to a friend who is currently serving time, and thought he might relate to the subject since he grew up in Chicago and got involved in gang life. Today he sent me a rave-review of the book which he read in 2 days. He said the journalist author had described his young life personally. My friend grew up at the same time as the two boys, in the same part of Chicago. All the events, the places and the atmosphere rang true - and in a case of small worlds - my friend realized that the boys in the story were actually nephews of one of his best friends. The book is a great achievement and reached in and touched a heart that has layers of armor around it. My friend absolutely loved it and he's reflecting on the story a week after reading the book. You know, we write back and forth a lot about books, but this one worked on a whole different level. There Are No Children Here comes highly recommended.
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Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars The book captures what life is like for African Americans in the projects
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015
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The book, There Are No Children Here, tells the true story of two boys growing up in the public housing projects of Chicago. Although the story takes place in the 1980’s it is still very relevant to the problems in urban poverty today. The book delves into a world of drugs, gangs, and violence. This world still exists today and many people are unaware of it. The book captures what life is like for African Americans in the projects. As the author follows the lives of Lafeyette and Paroah Rivers, 10 and 7 years old, he shows how quickly these boys must grow up. At their young age the boys must worry about gang wars right outside their home and their friends being killed every day. The book also refutes the stereotype about people who live in the projects. Many people see people in the projects as lazy, aggressive, and criminals. The boys who Kotlowitz follows are not criminals, drug abusers, or fighters. They are innocent boys. This book shows that people who live in the projects were just innocent kids like, Lafeyette and Pharoah, and are shaped by their surroundings. The book also has some focus on a current issue; police brutality. In the news there have recently been incidents of police using excessive force towards African Americans. This book shows the complexity of that issue. Anyone who has a strong opinion about whether or not police brutality is an issue of race or compliancy, or lack thereof, with police should read this book. It opened my eyes to the lack of trust between police and African Americans in the projects. It is hard to place blame on anyone because of the hopeless situation people are caught up in. The book is an easy read. It has lots of description and a compelling story which keeps the reader entertained. The shocking and devastating reality of people’s lives are depressing and ignite a desire to make a difference. Anyone who cares about people should read this book.
4 people found this helpful
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RC
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best (and saddest) books I ever read
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book follows a 2-3 year period of the the Rivers’ family’s lives in Henry Horner projects in Chicago. Neighborhood children are killed or raised in horrible conditions. Buildings unkept with vermin and violence everywhere. I’ve seen and read depictions of project life in other works but this book takes the cake. It really outlines how the system failed these people; the courts, the police, the housing authority, the contractors, the welfare office, etc. and the community itself. You notice the physical and psychological effects of this on the kids and their families and the neighborhood alike. I read this book rather quickly because the stories were so gripping. I can’t begin to imagine living a life like they did and I found myself rooting for the family at every turn. Amazing book and lots of context about Chicago in the 1960s-1980s so the reader understands why things are that way in the book. I’d stay away if you’re easily affected by violence though because this is an extremely detailed book. Maybe that’s important to understand the dire circumstances these kids were in though…
4 people found this helpful
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Firestarter
4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014
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This book is shocking, troubling, disgusting, and heartbreaking.

The author of this book follows two black boys who live in poverty in a crime ridden housing project in 1980s Chicago. Readers are left to feel sympathy for these children, who not for the stupidity and selfishness of their parents, might have otherwise grown up in a decent neighborhood with better opportunities.

While readers are left morning the lost lives of these children you cannot help but feel contempt for their parents (plural). Their mother began having children while she was young (14 to be exact). She raises her children in the SAME housing project where she grew up. In fact, it is the ONLY place she has ever lived. She has several children by the same man, who would rather shoot a needle in his arm, than use his modest (but good) paycheck to get his family out of the ghetto (and yes, he made enough money to purchase a modest home in a suburban community). His relationship with his children and their mother is that of a homeless person who is allowed to crash on a relative's sofa ever so often. He comes and goes as if he doesn't have any responsibility. The only real glimpse we get into his relationship with his wife is her blaming HIM for ruining her life (she doesn't take any responsibility for her poor choices in life). We learn that he had children outside of their marriage which is what caused the "come and go" relationship with his wife and family.

The family survives off welfare and public assistance. The mother doesn't work (supposedly because she can't due to her hand that was sliced up when she was attacked at knife point) and the father's paycheck goes toward his drug problem. Their poor children are left to survive almost completely on their own through legitimate odd jobs and selling drugs.

One by one the children in book (both main characters and their friends) become victims of poor parenting, poor environments, and poverty. The family's oldest children have their own children out of wedlock and eventually end up in prison. Their friends are murdered by rival gangs and the police. Their hosing project is riddled with gun fire during gang wars (so much so that the family has a "special" hiding place to prevent getting shot).

Readers will walk away from this book wondering what happened to the two boys who are the main characters (a little research and I discovered they both did time in prison for drug dealing...something they swore they would never do as children in this book) and you're left understanding the opposition to welfare, section 8 etc. This is a good book that shows almost everything wrong with the urban poor in inner cities.
10 people found this helpful
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smlwoman
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written. The title is powerful once you read it in context
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
I found this book at a thrift store. After reading it and seeing what kind of my teens were reading for school I bought this o e for my son’s history teacher. The socio economical issues as well as the way minorities were held back due to finances is pretty eye opening. It’s a true story and an update on the boys as young adults/teens are available at the end of the book and online. Great book to be added to history and English classes.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jojobaby2727
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Amazing book, definitely a must read. It is very captivating. Life of inner city youth. Enjoyet it, even though i read it for school.
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L. Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and thought provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
An absolutely stunning book that focuses on inner-city poverty in Chicago's projects.

I was worried that the age of the book (1980s) would badly date it, but the fear was unfounded - it's still as relevant now as it ever was.

This book never lingers in sentimental schmaltz or attempts to romanticise the lives that the people endure. This is straight forward reportage that has all the force of a sledgehammer.
2 people found this helpful
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Mireille PRODEAU
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting sociological study
Reviewed in France on March 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
Reading is so compelling that one would like to know what happened to these two children after the author published the book: did the city change something to their lives and to that of so many more like them?
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Nada Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
It was a good book!
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waterfall
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2015
Verified Purchase
Amazing book, could not put it down, annoyed work kept getting in the way. Took my ipad with me everywhere so I could read at every opportunity.
2 people found this helpful
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