Rating: 
Summary: If you are not moved by this book, something is wrong
Review: Never in my life have I cried so many times reading one book. What terrifies me is that a book like this can exist, yet nothing happens. When "How the Other Half Lives" appeared a century ago, there was public shock and outcry like you would not believe. Now we have "Amazing Grace," yet people are still cheerfully entertaining notions of school vouchers, welfare "reform," and other continued assaults against the poor. Companies like Philip Morris put ads in magazines touting their contributions to community food banks, as if that's something to be proud of. Hey, how about paying enough taxes so poor people can buy their own food? But, in a way, there's no point in even saying these things. The book itself seems to sense that things have gone too far, that some kind of invisible line has been crossed. "I've never lived through a time as cold as this in America," writes Kozol. But every time a child is born, we do have a chance to start over and get it right this time. Read this book and allow your heart to be changed.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Children
Review: This book is richly intense with the tragic conversations of daily life from residents of South Bronx, New York. The book does not over dramatize life's realities. It gives the reader an honest view of reality of the lives of many children and adults that somehow go beyond surviving their rigorous obstacles of their environment. It does not describe life in a third world country nor the lives of people that lived in another century. It discusses the present day lives of children and their families. Kozol embarked in a journey of interviews and conversations that did not merely describe the mundane lives of residents from the South Bronx. In his writing he does not overwhelm the reader withhis own personal opinions regarding the political arena that keeps the poor at risk residents, poor and at risk. On the contrary, he brings voices to life in a manner that is respectful and validates those that take the time to share their story. I am not proficient in the art of interviewing nor in the degree of listening that Kozol takes to truly present these stories honestly. He shares exactly what is presented to him. I was impressed with his own self acknowledgment of how these stories and experiences have changed his own perspective of people and their sturggle for daily survival. The stories are from children, mothers and grandmothers who have ended up living in the neighborhoods of South Bronx. The neighborhoods visited are described as grotesquely infested with gangs, drugs, prostitution and homicide. Yet, in the middle of these illicit activities, there are sanctuaries that share in protecting children of the community. Amazingly these children show a strong sense of hope and caring that touches the heart of those around them. Their resilience is remarkable and encouraging. It should motivate us to listen more and honor the many stories children carry with them everyday.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: I was a 16-year-old self-described "liberal." Second in command at my school's Amnesty International chapter. I had spent some time volunteering in an inner-city neighborhood with children, but wasn't particularly passionate about it. A teacher recommended this book to me and I devoured it, staying up all night to finish it. It's an inspiring kick in the pants and I urge anyone, but ESPECIALLY young people, to READ THIS BOOK. It moved me to get more involved in social justice work, and that has truly shaped my life.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and moving
Review: First off, to the people that say the events in this book are false.. you're an idiot. Sorry, but it's true. I've seen two 5-star reviews from people who live in this area, and I don't feel that Kozol slanted the facts to support his philosophy at all. IN FACT (cover your ears, conservatives), I feel that Kozol drastically UNDERSTATED the problems portrayed in this book. In fact, I'm shocked he could even go to this neighborhood and write about all the awful things there.. surely he was afraid for his life, and surely he became very frustrated writing about things that could be changed if people (for example, politicians) actually care. (Should children have to live in rat-infested homes, go to [crummy] schools and hope they live to adulthood because their parents have a low-paying job? Hmmmm...) Anyway, I read this book for a sociology class and it was a real page turner!! I read it all in about 4 days. As someone who's been below poverty level but never anywhere near an environment this bad, I found it very enlightening and moving. It's very fascinating to hear the views the people who live in Mott Haven hold.. one thing we talked about in our class is whether Americans hate children. We say no, but much evidence says otherwise. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in poverty and its causes, and social issues.
Rating:
Summary: If you are not moved by this book, something is wrong
Review: Never in my life have I cried so many times reading one book. What terrifies me is that a book like this can exist, yet nothing happens. When "How the Other Half Lives" appeared a century ago, there was public shock and outcry like you would not believe. Now we have "Amazing Grace," yet people are still cheerfully entertaining notions of school vouchers, welfare "reform," and other continued assaults against the poor. Companies like Philip Morris put ads in magazines touting their contributions to community food banks, as if that's something to be proud of. Hey, how about paying enough taxes so poor people can buy their own food? But, in a way, there's no point in even saying these things. The book itself seems to sense that things have gone too far, that some kind of invisible line has been crossed. "I've never lived through a time as cold as this in America," writes Kozol. But every time a child is born, we do have a chance to start over and get it right this time. Read this book and allow your heart to be changed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good...but has some issues.
Review: I read this book cover to cover in one sitting; it is definitely a shocking portrait of life in the inner city that most middle-class people have never seen. I recommend it especially to conservatives who believe the poor somehow deserve to be destitute, hungry, and trapped in filthy conditions. However, as someone with a degree in journalism who has written her own articles on poverty and homelessness, I see many flaws in the writing approach. The author leans so far to the the left that his credibility suffers. To present a more objective view, he could have at least interviewed some city officials and politicians who could explain WHY there have been budget cuts and WHY the drug problem is so bad. The politicians might have given their usual spiel, but at least they would have had a chance to respond. Here, they are painted as cold, unfeeling monsters, and the author never gives them an opportunity to defend themselves! But the main flaw in this book is that it shows us overwhelming social problems but presents no real solutions. If you compared it to "Fast Food Nation," for example, you would see that that book (which also has a liberal slant), presents problems as well as feasible solutions. When I got to the last page of "Amazing Grace" (A title more than a little cliche'), I thought, Is that it? You gave us a problem, now what can we do about it? Unfortunately, there are no answers to be found here.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Book
Review: This book is a must read for everyone in this country, especially for those that don't recognize a disparity among different classes of our population. It's extremely well written, and honest. I'm usually not a fan of non-fiction books, but this is one of my favorites of all time (fiction and non-fiction alike).
Rating:
Summary: not that great
Review: I sympathized with the people that Kozol interviewed. I also think that this is an important topic and I am glad that it has opened the eyes of so many people. However, I felt that the book was a bit repetitive. I had to put it down because I got tired of hearing sad story after sad story, all it did was make me depressed without keeping me interested. Although I never lived in area as ghetto as the south bronx, I lived in the projects of new york city and am aware that people live in such horrible conditions. So it didn't surprise me, it just put me to sleep. Perhaps to someone who would find this stuff surprising its great, otherwise, don't read this book.
Rating:
Summary: read it and wake up
Review: Wake up people. Feel guilty and do something about it after reading this. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: We must be spurred to action
Review: When the author was talking to "Mrs. Flowers" about the fate of the children in the South Bronx she mentions the many reporters who have come to discuss the same issues with her and he asks, "do you ever get sick of seeing all these people knocking at your door year after year to pick your brain?" She answers, "no, I don't get sick of it because a lot of the m have been nice people. The trouble is: You answer their questions and you give them your opinions. They collect your story from you. Then you see it and you read it and you think, 'Good'. But nothing happnes. It's just 'there' and then it drops. It's like they put you in a bucket like a wishing well. Only it's a wishing well where wishes don't come true." If we walk away from this book without a change in behaviour, we do the same as all those reporters did to Mrs. Flowers. I hope the reader will be compelled to act because of reading the words of some of these amazing children. We need to fight the tax cuts that make these familes live in rat infested housing and wait for 3 days in the emergency room to get treatment for AIDS related illnesses. We can't sit back and wish they had never been born, or wish them away. This may have been an editment of "welfare as we knew it" but it will teach us that "welfare as we know it now" is no better and still needs to be fixed, along with education, health care, law enforcement, parks and recreation policies, tax law, the penal institutions, racism....
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