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4.5
Savage Inequalities is probably one of the most riveting books about the haves versus the have nots. It is direct in its first hand accounts of students such as those in East St Louis who have been red lined right to the bread lines. Corporations have squeezed that area to the point that they cannot even afford toilet paper for their restrooms.filled with anger, frustration and indignation,and hopelessness, the book outlines chapter by chapter, each horrific situation one right after another form New York city to sunny California and even in the heartland of America where these types of situations are usually swept under the rug using the “Midwestern nice” narrative and agenda. It highlights how our school district fails our students but also exposes the sinister underbelly of the extremes and disparities between wealthy districts and poverty- stricken districts. Hearing a girl in the book say that teenage pregnancy is the only way out of the system is both maddening and utterly tragic. Reading that students in Chicago’s poorest schools, if they are able to even graduate, are not prepared for the rigor of the college or university setting is absolutely astounding. Jonathan Kozol encapsulates the struggles of these students, the hopelessness that they feel and society’s inability or apathy regarding doing something about it.This is a must read, but be prepared to feel extremely guilty about the inadequacies that are starkly narrated within each story. Be prepared to see how large districts allocate money inappropriately or inequitably. Be prepared to read about schools in New York with less than half the funding of other schools in their district, a student body of 1300 where only 900 should be housed and 5th grade class sizes of 35 or more students. The real tragedy is that the losers in this scenario are not only the teachers and communities, but more importantly, the students. How do we look these students in their innocent little eyes and say that we are providing an equitable education? It is not a wonderful book. It is a tragedy that is eloquently written to absolutely expose so many of the things wrong with education in America. It was written in 1991, and sadly, not much has changed in the past 30 years. Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Every time school finance reform has come to the table, it is repackaged to look pretty but not address the pink elephant in the room. So students in high poverty areas still go without the basics of a fundamental education. And we are wondering why reading levels are 2 and 3 grades below their given grade? We wonder why so many schools have drop out rates starting in 6th and 7th grade. Kudos to Jonathan Kozol for having the courage to pull the ugly truth out from under the proverbial rug. His last chapters talk about how the problems come about and ways we could strive for equity. This is a must read.
