Our America

OUR AMERICA

Our America is a first hand account of the struggles faced by youth growing up in a crime infested and economically challenged neighborhood. The book details the daily lives of LeAlan and Lloyd as they struggle to survive in the projects of Chicago. In the book they explore the dangers of being a child raised in a housing project, the consequences of negative behavior, and even murder. A crucial point in the book takes place when a brutal crime erupted from an abandoned apartment in the projects that consumed the life of a little boy. Two teenagers, Johnny and Tyrone, dropped Eric Morse fourteen floors to his death over an altercation in which Eric refused to steal them candy. LeAlan and Lloyd knew both the victim and the assailants, and thus began to investigate the crime and it's multiple causes. The authors wrote this book to open the eyes of America to 'another America' that exists within the bounds of Chicago high rise project housing.

Our America does an excellent job of painting a picture of urban city life by showing the audience a firsthand account of the problems faced by children in poverty-stricken areas. LeAlan and Lloyd give readers a view of life in the projects that should stir all of us to action. Their simple and understandable conversations bring to life the problems and challenges faced by their families and neighbors. Anyone interested in learning more about the plight of the inner city should read this book. Not because it proposes any grand plans for fixing the problem, but because it gives the reader a view into a world rarely, if ever, encountered by most Americans.

At one point in the book, two children Johnny age ten and Tyrone, eleven, drop a five year old boy named Eric Morse fourteen floors to his death over an altercation in which Eric refused to steal candy for them. LeAlan and Lloyd knew both the victim and the assailants, and thus began to investigate the crime and it's multiple causes. LeAlan and Lloyd followed the story of Eric Morse's death long after the attention died down. In the beginning of the story LeAlan says "For kids growing up in our neighborhood, it was nothing new, and it wasn't surprising". LeAlan and LLoyd acknowledge that most of America doesn't want to know of their lives, but they eloquently argue that other voices do exist and they portray each voice honestly and without