Wow,
Just finished the chapters introducing LeAlan's family, their history in brief and the interviews he did with his immediate family members. So much strife, mental illness, addiction, and death.
Even with all of the misery, the family still reflects on one another and themselves in a proud way. They all seem to describe this seemingly inevitable attitude that they did the best with what they had.
I'm continually thinking of my own dysfunctional family as I have called it and now I have to wonder just how bad it was for me; being of "white privilege" rather than "Black from the Ghetto".
The chapter about school was a focal point for me and I was surprised by the Principal's matter-of-fact realism about the students and their interpersonal expectations. She seemed to be of the mindset that she was not going to make excuses for the students but rather work with them within the boundaries of their circumstances and resources. She speaks of how the students believe that the teachers couldn't possibly see their talents and wouldn't think they could believe in themselves. She mentions a school system that has become pulverized by a bad reputation, both demographically and in relation to the socio-economic status of the students.
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