num_pages: 336
description: Alex Kotlowitz's "There Are No Children Here" was more than a bestseller; it was a national event. His beautifully narrated, heartbreaking nonfiction account of two black boys struggling to grow up in a Chicago public housing complex spent eight weeks on The NY Times bestseller list, was a made-for-television movie starring &amp; produced by Oprah Winfrey, won many distinguished awards &amp; sparked a continuing national debate on the lives of inner-city children. In "The Other Side of the River," his eagerly awaited new book, Kotlowitz takes us to SW Michigan. Here, separated by the St Joseph River, are two towns, St Joseph &amp; Benton Harbor. Geographically close, they are worlds apart, a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community &amp; 95% white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished &amp; 92% black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds &amp; suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes a screen on which each town projects their resentments &amp; fears. "The Other Side of the River" sensitively portrays the lives &amp; hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--&amp; reveals the attitudes &amp; misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. In this gripping &amp; profound book, Kotlowitz proves why he's one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race.
language: English
title: The Other Side of the River
titlecomplete: The Other Side of the River
characters: Eric McGinnis'
genres: Education, Crime, Urban Studies, True Crime, History, Journalism, Race, Social Justice, Nonfiction, Sociology
ratings_count: 1834
places: Michigan
awards: awardedAt: 883641600000
name: Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize
category: Nonfiction
publisher: Doubleday (NYC)