On Thursday, November 12 at 2:30 p.m., Michael Rosen gave a presentation of his book, WHAT ELSE BUT HOME: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse at University of the District of Columbia/Windows Lounge, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Michael was also here in August to present a remarkable story. At the UDC event, Michael was accompanied by two of the youths about whom he writes.
Michael and his wife Leslie took into their apartment - and into their lives - a half dozen teenagers who lived nearby their Lower East Side building. They fed and clothed them, and more important, tutored and encouraged them to graduate from high school and go on to college. Yes, they all had mothers, but mothers who were so overburdened with other children and jobs that they welcomed the Rosens’ help.
Michael Rosen shows us how wide the gap is between middle and lower class life. The cultural disparities are huge. In this new information age, we expect much more of workers. Industrial work is disappearing. Service work pays badly. How can American society intervene to provide youngsters with the skills and know how they need to navigate in the global economy?
If you missed the talk, we have signed books on hand.
NEIGHBORHOOD MURAL
Some of you may have heard the All Things Considered report "A Widow Paints a Health Care Protest" by Joseph Shapiro on the neighborhood mural. It faces the CVS parking lot and is on the building owned by the BP Station. Regina Holliday created this painting in honor of her husband Fred, who died from kidney cancer. Joseph’s report was excellent and you can find the NPR story on the internet at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120028213.
Go back to top of email
