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That said, the author's background and training as a sociologist comes through loud and clear, and ultimately limits his book. While Venkatesh does a good job of detailing the social relationships among the players, he virtually ignores the larger political issues. Why was management so inept as to be virtually non-existent? Why did the drug/crime culture take hold, and how did the gangs transfor themselves into multi-state corporate enterprises? Most importantly, given that CHA is now in the process of demolishing virtually everyone of the buildings which form Robert taylor Homes, how do we avoid creating the same problems in the next generation of public housing.
Excellent bibliography, by the way. A very good place to dig for resources for anyone wanting to study the history of the Chicago Housing Authority since 1960.
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High school senior Adrian drinks too much one night, and in a terrible car accident is paralyzed and his girlfriend is killed. In the meantime, high school senior Paul, speaks out in defense of another high school senior who was killed in a gay-bashing murder. Paul's fundamentalist father kicks him out and Paul ends up living with a local artist, named Steve, who helps him. Paul's growing awareness of his being gay, coupled with his attempt to deal with his fanatic father, and also deal with the town's gay bashers, is a lot to handle for this young man. Paul's being on his own leads to unexpected love, and emotional consequences he never expected. At the same time, Adrian is due to go on trial for manslaughter, and it's at this point in the story that Paul & Adrian's lives become more involved in ways they never expected.
This is a story of unexpected friendship, love, and the struggle to do what's right, no matter what the consequences. It's a short book, but there's a lot of story here. Taylor knows how to successfully bring the struggles of young people today to the written page.
Joe Hanssen
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That is, as I say, his thesis. I am reminded of a story of a man who fell out the 40th story window of an office building. Mid way down, with his eyes firmly closed, he imagined himself flying.
"So far, so good," he said.
This author records comparable delusions, and the state of free-fall that of necessity must end. He thinks he is recording something better than that.