Color barriers, prejudice and fear in There Are No Children HereColor barriers, as well as prejudice and fear manifest themselves in this story of two young kids growing up in downtown Chicago. Confined to the housing project, the brothers and their family are well aware of their "caste" in society. The story follows the Rivers family who lives in the Henry Horner Homes (near the United Center in Chicago). Over the course of about three years, the author describes the family's daily experiences, focusing on the two boys. Pharoah and Lafeyette Rivers are surrounded by what appears to be a prison of doom and despair. Faced with the relentless reality of life in the ghetto, the two boys always seem to cling to a spark of hope. Their environment is somewhat standard for off-plan housing. Something in the apartment is always broken (the bathtub faucet couldn't be turned off; the constant sound of slowly running water soon blurred into the background), the small space they had was overcrowded with family members floating through with their children and friends. The safest playground was the corridor, the spacious playground was missing parts of the play equipment and was always covered in gang, drug and gun threats. When the children who chose to go to the playground, they did not fall onto the pavement, but rather onto the asphalt paved with broken glass. Nearby was the United Center, a beacon for kids looking for a way out of the projects. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the team members, the entertainment for the kids didn't come from going to watch the game, but rather from waiting to see the Bulls. The story tells of the family's life, the highs and many lows... middle of paper ...the feeling of progress, of being treated like human beings rather than untouchables, and even more, reflects the abandonment of man who takes care of man. Relationships between authority and subordinate, black and white, family and friend are noted, and serve as a vital part of understanding the complexity of life in the lower classes. Kotlowitz stands in solidarity with those trapped in the CHA and welfare bureaucracy. His choice of subjects to define the environment is wonderful. The reader is left with a feeling of frustration, but not without hope for progress. Society in the industrialized United States is suffering, and it is books like these that provide a glimpse into a part of life that many may never be aware of. We can only hope that the spark of hope present in these two boys becomes the fire that society needs to break down the barriers of economic and color prejudice..