Jonathan Kozol's "Amazing Grace"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in "Amazing Grace", non-fiction writer, educator, and activist Jonathan Kozol, describes his visits to the poor neighborhoods of South Bronx and Harlem where he is exposed to what it is like for children to grow up desperately poor. The author points out that one of the most important aspects of this book is that Kozol lets the people speak in their own words about their poor lives, their problems and how they think the rest of the world views them . The paper relates that one of the really painful revelations in "Amazing Grace" is the difficulties welfare recipients have receiving services---the long waits and the disrespect with which they must put up. The paper includes many quotations from the book.

From the Paper:

"One of the people Kozol speaks to is Mrs. Washington who contracted AIDS from her husband that she loved and thought was faithful to her. She is sick and needs to go to the hospital, but according to the State of New York, she is not sick enough in order to collect Social Security Insurance. She explains that sometimes one must sit in the waiting room of the hospital (the one for poor people) for three days before being seen by a doctor or given a bed. When a room is available, the nurses are usually so busy that the old lady ends up changing her bedding by herself."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Drug abuse"- Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com (c) 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation
• Jonathan Kozol ", http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki
• "Poverty " , http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki
• Kozol, Jonathan( 1996 ) Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation , Harper Perennial , New York
• Saleebey, Dennis (2002) , Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice (4TH 06 Edition), Allyn & Bacon

More papers on Jonathan Kozol's "Amazing Grace":

• Book Review # 132054 : "Amazing Grace" - A Book Review"
• Book Review # 88072 : "Amazing Grace"
• Book Review # 49730 : "Amazing Grace" and Ghetto Life in America"

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