This book is not hard to read; Kozul is not an alarmist. But it is a call to action and a plea for awareness. It’s disturbing and it’s touching and it’s accusatory. If you’ve never been to a low-income housing project (like me), then you probably don’t understand why this book is important. I suspect that the majority of Americans fall under this category, since ghettos are not tourist destinations and most Americans are relieved from the duty of acknowledging that they exist. But the fact that we hide away these areas and the people that live in them, the fact that we isolate and quarantine the less-fortunate in this type of squalor, is indefensible. If you’re not appalled by how these people are forced to live, and by the circumstances that keep them there, then you need to read this.

It is amazing. A true wake up call.