Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
Realistically, most Newarkers, as with most people anywhere, are not going to end up at Yale. There's no point in denying the reality of where and how this young man lived and how he transcended his origins, because that's the story being told by his Yalie roommate. Newark isn't Saddle River, after all. Although I agree that the subtitle was rather tone-deaf.
This book has been on my radar since it came out, but I think I'd rather read it.
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I'd rather read it, too.
I've always found it unfortunate the author didn't emphasize Peace's origins from the
mean streets of Newark, NJ rather than (erroneously) assuming his book's mere mention of Newark would evoke facts such as these (source:
Wikipedia: Newark, NJ: Crime):
- In 1996, TIME magazine ranked Newark "The Most Dangerous City in the Nation."[276]
- In 2010, Newark recorded 90 homicides.[7] March 2010 was the first calendar month since 1966 in which the city did not record a homicide.[8] Overall, there was a 6% increase in crime numbers over the previous year, including a rise in carjackings for the third straight year, with the 337 incidents raising concerns that the city was returning to its status as the "car theft capital of the world".[9] Along with the increase in crime, the Newark Police Department increased its recovery of illegally owned guns in 2011 to 696, up from 278 in 2010.[10]
- In 2012, CNNMoney ranked Newark as the 6th most dangerous city in the United States based on numbers by FBI Crime in the United States 2011 report.[287]