Rating: 
Summary: It still reads the same over a year later....
Review: I just re-read ORDINARY RESURRECTIONS and wanted to update my review....the book is just wonderful....and full of such hope! Like other reviewers, I heard Mr. Kozol's interview on National Public Radio during my commute home and was completely enchanted by his stories of Pineapple and her friends in Mott Haven. I ordered the book from amamzon.com and devoured it in two sittings. I cannot remember when a book moved me as much as this one. I'm not sure what gifts God gave Jonathan Kozol, but one of them is true compassion and insight without judgment or pretense. I was continually amazed, as was Kozol, at these children's tenderness, kindness, their incredible gift of insight and their wide-eyed innocence. At the back of the book, there is an address for St. Ann's Church. I will be sending them a check...for St. Ann's Scholars...for Pineapple and Elio and Mother Martha and all the children and caretakers who perform miracles day in and day out. This should be required reading for not only present/future teachers, it should be required reading for the human race. I hope Kozol and his kids win the Pulitzer/Nobel/and any other available award! Read this book...you will be richer for it.
Rating:
Summary: It couldn't be more true...
Review: as a "survior" of the South Bronx I can only reassure the readers that Jonathans reflections of the segragation,poverety and dispair that thrives in the Bronx is sadly too true...but he is also correct in the innocence of the children of the Bronx and the one time in your life that no matte where you live or what you do...there is that special place. I never went to St. Ann's but I know plan too..after completing my degree I plan on opening a home for children in the south bronx to give them the chance, the opportunity that so many of us never had... To the "elite" of New York and the policy makers...may God forgive you for what you do to the children of the South Bronx..my deepest and most sincere respect go to Jonathan for such a well written book and his obvious care for these children.
Rating:
Summary: The Need for a Helping Hand
Review: As the end of the book drew near, I knew that I did not want it to finish. Through Kozol's descriptive, real life language, I felt as if I knew the students and wanted to continue along life's journey with them. I became frustrated, because I want to know what happens to the individual children. Are they able to remain strong with the help of the people at St. Ann's? Or do they fall into a life filled with crimes and drugs? Although I am upset, it is good, almost like a passion that is a direct result of Jonathan Kozol. Within an instant, he invites his readers to come along with him into this world in the South Bronx, a world that many people have not entered and maybe never will. Therefore, I believe Ordinary Resurrections is extremely powerful, for it has the capability to extend its arms and touch many people; there truly is no limit to the people who Kozol may affect. This idea of having no boundaries is crucial in today's society, because people should take the time not only to acknowledge, but help those who are less fortunate. It's a frightening world, especially for our youth, which is why they need our guidance and assistance to make sense of it all and find their own path.
Rating: 
Summary: Kozol has done it again
Review: Having read many of Kozol's previous books, I have developed a great admiration for him and his lifelong dedication to social justice and poor children, and his eloquent arguments on their behalf. I've wondered at how he has managed to spend nearly 40 years of his life in this pursuit. This book shows us why--he truly enjoys and loves the children he advocates for. Like Savage Inequalities and Amazing Grace (both must reads) the children's words themselves move you with their honesty, their innocence, and their hope. I can still see Elio moving his arms to "catch one of God's answers to his prayers". But this book also gives us some insight into Kozol himself--his struggles with the failing health of his parents especially. While his earlier books often were suffused with anger at the inequalities of the public education system and social framework, this book is filled with hope and joy. and a little bit of sadness too. And, surprisingly, it is just as effective.
Rating:
Summary: Kozol has done it again
Review: Having read many of Kozol's previous books, I have developed a great admiration for him and his lifelong dedication to social justice and poor children, and his eloquent arguments on their behalf. I've wondered at how he has managed to spend nearly 40 years of his life in this pursuit. This book shows us why--he truly enjoys and loves the children he advocates for. Like Savage Inequalities and Amazing Grace (both must reads) the children's words themselves move you with their honesty, their innocence, and their hope. I can still see Elio moving his arms to "catch one of God's answers to his prayers". But this book also gives us some insight into Kozol himself--his struggles with the failing health of his parents especially. While his earlier books often were suffused with anger at the inequalities of the public education system and social framework, this book is filled with hope and joy. and a little bit of sadness too. And, surprisingly, it is just as effective.
Rating:
Summary: Hope Restored
Review: Having recently read Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities", I am struck by Kozol's change of pace. Kozol is not a renegade, not a defender of children in this book, but a personal friend. I am struck with the lyricism and melody of the book. It is written from the heart, out of love and admiration for the forgotten children of the South Bronx. Kozol has no children of his own. A bachelor in his sixties, Kozol marvels at the innocence of the children from the South Bronx and is touched by their true friendship. The children want to get to know him better, want to know all about him and look forward to his visits. Kozol visits with them regularly, tutors them during long visits, and attends mass with them. He is deeply moved by the children's wanting to involve him in the Catholic rituals of mass, including taking communion. Kozol says the kids want him to "try the bread and wine, its good." Kozol has a definite message. Despite poverty, violence, absence of parents, absence of security; all children are born into hopeful innocence which takes years to destroy. I was overcome with emotion during many passages in this book. It is a very personal book which bares the author's soul. I recommend this book for everyone. Kozol is a testament to the goodness in mankind. Goodness that often goes unrecognized. I give the book 5 stars, but I give Mr. Kozol an infinite number of stars, for his devotion, for his love, for his hope for the children of the South Bronx and their future.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated
Review: I really have nothing good to say about this book. Maybe I don't like the book because my chest doesn't hold a bleeding heart. That probably is the case. First of all, what is Kozol's purpose for writing the book? What is he trying to prove? Of course educational situation in slum neighborhoods is poor. Is this a secret? I feel bad for anyone who made this revelation after reading the book. Another complaint would be how Kozol throws the term segregation around as liberally as he does. The students he meets with are not the victims of segregation. Segretation is the forced separation of two things. At best, the residents of Mott Haven are victims of economic segregation. Unfortunately, those people have victimized themselves - they are the victims of their own ways of life. There are no men in the neighborhood - boo hoo, let's shed some tears. Where have all the men gone? - to jail for selling drugs. In short, you get what you deserve. In the end, there are incredible problems with this book and I did not find it enjoyable at all. I suppose I'm supposed to feel sympathetic for these people, but we all control our own destinies. If those youngsters decide to get an education and get themselves out of the neighborhood, then I'll applaud. They can sell drugs like everyone else and end up in prison and get their just deserts for their activity and continue the cycle. Open your eyes when you read this book and realize that Kozol has filled this book with liberalized rants and tears. The only people that I feel for are those who are forced to read this drivel. The system will never be perfect and remember, not everyone can graduate and be a doctor or a lawyer. We need to have the local McDonald's and the local gas station staffed too.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book, inspiring and very sad at the same time
Review: I think it's very telling that Jonathan Kovol is friends withFred Rogers (one of my heroes) and talks about that in this book, ashis writing reminds me of how Mister Rogers talks---his extremely strong feelings of love and caring and understanding of the children he is friends with (for that is what he is, friends, not an observer) comes through in every sentence. It's inspiring to read about the lives these children are living---how they manage to have a happy childhood and remain innocent and caring in such a tough environment, but you know the road ahead for them is not going to be an easy one. If you don't feel outraged after reading this book about the state of the public schools in big cities, you haven't read too carefully. And the fault is not where so many like to put it--with the teachers, with the students, with the parents, the fault is with a society where people are getting richer and richer but there is still not enough money to have reasonable class sizes in cities, to restore music and arts and doctors in the schools taken away 20 years ago, and to have a graduation rate not as shameful as the one where most of these kids will go to high school. This book really moved me and I am going to work harder to improve my childrens' urban schools.
Rating:
Summary: Truth and Beauty Up Close
Review: I, too, heard Mr. Kozol on NPR - and in the space of a few minutes was not only driven to tears, but driven to purchase the book. In a time when the world feels out of control and impossible for any one of us to alter its course, Jonathon Kozol gives me hope by reminding us that all children start out with pure love, truth and innocence - regardless of their economic or social circumstance. And that noticing and nurturing children is a precious and enriching process. The book is written in a compellingly intimate way, and I feel priveleged to have been introduced to the children of Mott Haven and to the grown ups who love and care for them.
Rating:
Summary: Touching Portraits of Resilience
Review: In Ordinary Resurrections, Jonathan Kozol deviates from his usual "gloves off" attack of the issues facing minority children. Instead of building the case against the inequitable system with facts and figures, as he has in previous work, he has chosen the subtle but effective approach of a storyteller. He paints a very descriptive portrait of the victims of continued segregation and racism that may inspire those in positions of influence to make more compassionate decisions regarding the lives of the children they serve. Things that scream out to me from Kozol's book(s): 1) Incarceration vs. Education (do the math!)
The incarceration industry is thriving on blind public support. If taxpayers knew they were paying on the average ten to twenty times more to incarcerate supposed perpetrators of victimless crimes than it would cost to educate them, I'd bet they might even overlook their racist fears. The corporate/federal mentality that chooses to decide early on what these children will bring to the economy seems to prefer them as a product in this system versus potential contributors to something greater. 2) Resilience (despite our conditional "help")
In their innocent naiveté the children neglected by the system remain courageous, hopeful, and resilient. This resilience may diminish as they weather the inequities of the system that oppresses them, but it is often the attribute that enables them to succeed regardless of our preaching and teaching. Just imagine what heights they might reach if they continued to be nurtured as they are by the caring individuals in their lives now. 3) Compassion (essential)
As a beneficiary of white male privilege his reflections from the other side of the gap are poignant and insightful lessons for those of us too far removed from the reality that exists in many of our cities. Even after this racial inequity is acknowledged it is difficult for most of us to express empathy in ways that ring genuine. Kozol does! He is trusted and welcomed by the culture and community he strives to serve. His stories reflect a model for learning and practicing compassion which, in my opinion, may be the single most important factor in saving ourselves from extinction. Kozol repeatedly demonstrates the importance
of compassion in his work. Listen to him! 4) Racism, segregation, inequality (market view politics)
Racism is institutionalized in the United States despite the hope segregation was ending that the civil rights movements of the sixties inspired. "Kids notice that no politicians talk about this. They hear the politicians saying, "We're gonna have tougher standards in your separate-but-not-equal schools. We're gonna raise the bar of academic discipline in your separate-but-not-equal schools." But nobody says we're going to make them less separate and more equal. Nobody says that." - Kozol interview in Education World 5) Toxic environments (no one to litigate)
AIDS, asthma, drugs, violence, toxic pollution, poverty, malnutrition, lack of medical attention, apartheid economics, and neglect are common elements in the environment Kozol's children try to survive in. Basic needs must be satisfied before we can expect children to be receptive to that which we would have them learn. Kozol is issuing a wake-up call to the complacent masses that are either unaware or in denial that this situation is serious and threatens all of us socially, emotionally, and economically. In my opinion, implications for educators that may be gleaned from Kozol's book include:
• The extreme importance of compassion in all aspects of dealing with children.
• Recognition that before we talk about diversity we need to spend a lot more
time in the conversation about racism.
• Locking people up is not rehabilitation and in the long run is socially,
emotionally, spiritually, and economically disastrous. Break the cycle of incarceration!
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