Book 48

48. Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen by David Hilfiker
First off I have to say that schoolwork is really interfering with my ability to do fun reading. I used to read on my lunch break all the time, but now that the library is all under construction and we have no staff lounge I have to eat in my office. Thus I am sitting in front of my computer during lunch now and am guilty enough to use it to do schoolwork during lunch instead of doing fun reading. I just saw how long ago it was I posted my last book entry and it’s kind of astounding given that this book was less than 150 pages.

This book discusses the historical reasons that urban ghettos came to be and the forces that cause them to continue to exist. I found it very interesting and very sad all at the same time. It astounds me that people think that everyone who lives in the ghetto is to blame for their situation. There are so many forces working against them that it’s not that easy to work your way out. Not that I think they shouldn’t try or excuse some of the choices that people make, but really I don’t think it’s that easy, and I’m very glad that I was not born into that situation.