By Jonathan Kozol. Examines life and death in the South Bronx—the poorest urban neighborhood of the United States: overcrowded schools, dysfunctional hospitals, and rat-infested homes where families have been ravaged by depression and anxiety, drug-related violence, and the spread of AIDS. But also introduces devoted and unselfish teachers, dedicated ministers, and courageous and delightful children defying the stereotypes of urban youth frequently presented by the media; they speak about the poverty and racial isolation that have wounded but not hardened them. Read more.