Color barriers, prejudice and fear in There Are No Children HereColor barriers, as well as Prejudice and fear shine through in this story of two young boys who grew up in inner-city Chicago. Confined in the city, the brothers and their family are well aware of their “caste” in society. The story follows the events of the Rivers family living in the Henry Horner Homes (near the United Center in Chicago). For approximately three years, the author describes the family's daily life, focusing on the two boys. The Pharoah and Lafeyette rivers are surrounded by what seems to be a prison of doom and despair. Faced with the relentless reality of life in the ghetto, the two boys always seem to have a glimmer of hope. Their environment is somewhat standard for planned housing. Something in the apartment is always broken (the bathtub faucet couldn't be turned off; the constant sound of slowly running water quickly faded into the background), the small space they had was filled with family members who floated through with their own children and friends. The safest playground was the hallway, the spacious playground lacked pieces of play equipment and was always covered in gang threats, drugs and gunfire. When the children chose to go to the playground, they did not fall onto the sidewalk, but rather onto an asphalt surface paved with broken glass. Nearby was the United Center, a beacon for kids looking for a way out of the projects. Hoping to get a glimpse of the team members, the kids entertained themselves not by going to watch the game, but rather by waiting to see the Bulls. The story tells about the family's life, the ups and downs. paper......re feeling of progress, of being treated as humans rather than untouchables, and more, reflects the neglect of man who watches over man. The relationships between authority and subordinates, blacks and whites, family and friends are noted and are an essential element in understanding the complexity of lower-class life. Kotlowitz sympathizes with those enmeshed in the CHA and welfare bureaucracy. His choice of subjects to define the environment is magnificent. 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 insight into a part of life that many may never experience. We can only hope that the spark of hope in these two boys turns into the fire that society needs to burn away the barriers of economic and color prejudice..