An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago

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Jun 7

An American Summer - Alex Kotlowitz

my review : ✮✮✮✮✮

I live 15 minutes away from many of the neighborhoods mentioned in this book and it is truly like I am in a different world. I knew before reading this book how grossly privileged I am but after finishing this I am disturbed by my own naivety.

This is a nonfiction book filled with stories from one Chicago summer. Each chapter follows a different story of love, loss, perseverance, and heartbreak amid violence, racism, and chaos.

Incredible story telling. Not a beach read but a must read.

you’ll love this book if you value:

Dismantling ignorance with becoming educated on important topics
A book that remains relevant and important that is followed by understanding and empathy

my favorite quote:

“The shooting doesn't end. Nor does the grinding poverty. Or the deeply rooted segregation. Or the easy availability of guns. Or the shuttered schools and boarded-up homes. Or the tensions between police and residents. And yet each shooting is unlike the last, every exposed and bruised life exposed and bruised in its own way.”.