„Nic tak nie łączy ludzi jak rozpacz. Nic tak nie zbliża nas do siebie jak smutek”. Ten cytat z Rączych koni Cormaca McCarthy’ego doskonale oddaje chicagowską codzienność. Choć Chicago nie znajduje się w czołówce najniebezpieczniejszych miast w USA, stało się symbolem społecznej degradacji. Dziennikarz Alex Kotlowitz opisuje lato 2013 roku, które, mimo że było stosunkowo spokojne, nadal przyniosło przerażające statystyki: 172 osoby zginęły od kul, a niemal siedmiokrotnie więcej zostało rannych. Większość przemocy miała miejsce w biednych dzielnicach, gdzie agresja wydaje się jedyną strategią przetrwania. Kotlowitz przedstawia historię epidemii przemocy i strachu, rozmawiając z członkami gangów, byłymi więźniami, policjantami, aktywistami i matkami w żałobie. W tym świecie czas wyznaczają lata odsiadki i liczba ran, a bohaterowie łączy cicha nadzieja na lepsze jutro. Reportaż jest hołdem dla ofiar ulicznej przemocy i wyrazem miłości do miasta targanego bólem. Wyróżniony Nagrodą Literacką im. J. Anthony’ego Lukasa oraz Nagrodą im. Harolda D. Vursella, to jedna z najlepszych książek non-fiction 2019 roku według „Kirkus Reviews”. Kotlowitz ukazuje życie w brutalny, a zarazem poruszający sposób, podkreślając, że „o śmierci nie da się opowiadać, nie czcząc życia”. Lektura obowiązkowa.
Alex Kotlowitz Ordine dei libri (cronologico)
Alex Kotlowitz è un autore e giornalista rispettato il cui lavoro approfondisce gli affari urbani e le questioni sociali. La sua scrittura, pubblicata su riviste prestigiose come The New York Times Magazine e The New Yorker, è caratterizzata dalla sua acuta esplorazione di storie umane. I reportage e le narrazioni personali di Kotlowitz illuminano le complessità delle relazioni umane e delle strutture sociali, concentrandosi spesso su temi come la casa, l'amore e il denaro. Attraverso i suoi ruoli di insegnamento universitario e le conferenze pubbliche, Kotlowitz continua a condividere le sue intuizioni e a promuovere il dibattito su questioni sociali critiche.
An American Summer
- 304pagine
- 11 ore di lettura
2020 J. ANTHONY LUKAS PRIZE WINNER From the bestselling author of There Are No Children Here comes a heartrending portrait of love and death in Chicago's turbulent neighborhoods. Over the past twenty years, Chicago has seen 14,033 homicides and around 60,000 gunshot injuries. What impact does this violence have on individuals and communities? Drawing on his extensive experience, Alex Kotlowitz chronicles a summer in the city, focusing on those who have survived the violence, revealing the resilience and fragility of the human heart and soul. The result is a captivating collection of intimate profiles that challenge our understanding of gun violence in America. Among the stories, we meet a man grappling with the consequences of killing a rival gang member as a teenager; a dedicated school social worker facing a student unwilling to testify about his best friend's murder; a witness to a wrongful police shooting haunted by his experience; and an aging former gang leader who creates a refuge for himself and friends. Through close, empathetic reporting, Kotlowitz offers a raw and honest portrayal of a city in crisis. These powerful narratives will resonate deeply and linger long after reading.
The Other Side of the River
- 336pagine
- 12 ore di lettura
Bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz is one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race. In this gripping and ultimately profound book, Kotlowitz takes us to two towns in southern Michigan, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, separated by the St. Joseph River. Geographically close, but worlds apart, they are a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St. Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community and ninety-five percent white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and ninety-two percent black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes, inevitably, a screen on which each town projects their resentments and fears. The Other Side of the River sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America.
Kinder gibt es hier nicht mehr. Im Himmalaja verschollen. Der Schrei der Möwe. Elefanten - mein Leben
This is the moving and powerful account of two remarkable boys struggling to survive in Chicago's Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex disfigured by crime and neglect.