Johnathon Kozol: Amazing Grace
Quotes.
Kozol writes about his experience in New York, more specifically from Manhattan and the South Bronx. He rides the train from one of the wealthiest towns to one of the poorest towns in New York. He speaks with a particular family about what they have been through while living in what was described as "one of the largest racially segregated concentrations of poor people in the nation" (3). 
There were a few pieces of information that resonated quite strongly with me in this piece. One of them belonging from a child's perspective, one whom lives with his mother in a cockroach infested apartment. 
"'I saw a boy shot in the head right over there,' he says a moment later, in a voice that does not sound particularly sad, then looks up at me and asks politely, 'would you like a chocolate chip cookie?' 'No thank you,' I say (6). This quote stood out in the article because it surprised me how casually Cliffie, the boy whom Kozol was speaking with, he could talk about such serious matters that he had experienced somebody getting shot in a public area. His confidence and positive attitude is what surprised me the most about the whole interview. He did not shy away from sharing such personal information about the events that occurred in his neighborhood and nearby streets. A main topic that was discussed in this article was the astounding amount of people with AIDS and how they cannot be treated because of the amount of people that occupy the hospitals. This was another point that I was shocked by because I personally do not know anybody with AIDS and the people speaking in the article seemed nonchalant about the issue. "I ask how many people in the building now have AIDS. 'In this building? Including the children, maybe 27 people. That's just in this section. In the other building over there, there's maybe 20 more. Then there's lots of other people have it but don't know, afraid to know, and don't want to be tested. We're livin in a bad time. What can I say?'" (13). Kozol is speaking with a nurse who visits a tenant in an apartment once every month. The fear of finding out whether someone has AIDS must be the scariest part of living in the neighborhood, other than the fear of getting shot outside the doorway of course. I have never feared of a disease so serious before and realizing people have that fear everyday makes me appreciate my health and the town I grew up in. Granted, I was sheltered and even being exposed to situations that occur in these neighborhoods is extremely eye opening for me. I had to read these facts over a few times to make sure I read them correctly because I was so shocked. Kozol wanted to reiterate these important points because something has to be done about the health and well being of the people in these places. There was a brief point at the end of the article that relates to the diseases and terrible habits that people develop, "'If poor people behaved rationally,' says Lawrence Mead, a professor of political science at New York University, 'they would seldom be poor for long in the first place.' Many social scientists today appear to hold this point of view and argue that the largest portion of the suffering poor people undergo has to be blamed upon their own "behaviors" a word they tend to pluralize" (21). This is the same point I have heard all my life, whether or not it is right to give homeless people money or never to keep the doors unlocked on my house. Now I understand the real fear. There are situations I believe that people could have prevented if they were to make more righteous decisions but there are also different people who just happened to fall into bad luck and awful timing. As the economy gets worse, there is no hope for anybody in the area whether it was their fault or not they all need help.  

Point/Question to share: I have always been told, never judge a book by it's covers or never judge someone on their appearance. I never understood why until I listened to everybody's stories in my life. There is no way to know what someone has been through just by the way they look. The strength these people have is unbelievable and the hope that Cliffe has for the future is not just seeing life through a child's eye but knowing that just because bad things are happening around you, it does not make the world a bad place. My questions relate to what happens to them in the future, where Cliffe ends up living or if he ends up being another burning body? I also wanted to share a link to an organization in Harlem, New York. It is a non profit program that helps children and gives them opportunities to participate in sports year round with other children. There are many organizations similar to this one and without these there would hardly be any hope for future generations. 

https://www.harlemrbi.org/About/who-we-are.html