Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol

          Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol was very heartbreaking to read. It was very powerful and shocking to read about the lives of the families in poverty. I didn’t want to believe that all of this was true but it is. Some of Kozol’s main points include; the types of families that live in poverty, the living conditions of the families, the crime and drug use in the neighborhoods, and the health of the people. 

First of all, the families suffering from poverty in the Bronx are “two thirds are hispanic, one third black, Thirty-five percent children” (page 3). This was very surprising to me, I thought that it would be a lot more diverse. This quote reminds me of the article by Ullucci. Ullucci states “race and poverty seem to intersect in disturbing ways” (page 2). Here we can see that certain races are suffering from poverty, its not diverse at all. Also, I cant believe how many of these families have children. Thirty-five percent of the people suffering in that city are children, that’s so sad. This neighborhood is filled with crime, drugs, and disease, thats not a healthy environment for children or even the adults.

Some quotes that stood out to me…
1."‘You just cover up… and hope you wake up the next morning,’ says a father of four children” (page 4).

This quote shows only a small part of what its like living in poverty. In the winter if you are homeless, you don't have a nice warm house to go to. Also, if you have a house you cant always afford the necessities like and heat and food. I can’t imagine how this father felt when he said this. When I have children of my own I never want to have to experience this. I would not want to have to worry about one of my children not waking up in the morning. Overall, this quote is really scary to me. 

2."My nurse had 22 patients and was working two shifts end to end” (page 15).

I can’t believe that a nurse can be assigned twenty-two patients at time! That’s a lot.My mom is an emergency room and she said on a busy night the most patients each nurse has is five. They rarely ever get more than five patients. Twenty-two is a crazy amount. Kozol also mentions that patients often have to clean their own hospital rooms and that the patients have a very long wait in the waiting room. Some patients have to wait days before they can see a doctor. At my moms work a patient can’t be waiting in the waiting for more than ten minutes. 

3."I believe we are put here here for a purpose, but these people in the streets can’t see  a purpose” (page 24). 

         This quote really stood out to me. It shows that some of the people who live in the streets think that this is all there is to life. Some don’t understand why they are there so they just do drugs and commit crime. That’s very sad. I think these people need to be inspired so they can see their purpose in life.