My Personal Thoughts on "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol

I found “Amazing Grace,” by Jonathan Kozol to be very interesting. Many things I read in the story did not shock because growing up I did not live in the best neighborhood. I cannot complain because I feel that the neighborhood I grew up in which is Smith Hill in Providence Rhode Island could not have been worse than in Mott Haven in South Bronx New York. Reading Amazing Grace it made me wonder is anybody in the government system pushing to help this city. This story is and eye-opener for me and its making me wonder how the government cannot do anything about it. Now it makes me understand why Kozol said “Amazing Grace; the lives of children and the conscience of a nation.”

As a future health educator I had many concerns and felt pity for the condition that people in Mott Haven have to deal with. Kozol stated, “A city-run institution known as Lincoln Hospital, which had been denied accreditation more than once over the years because of the failure of the staff to monitor patients after surgery and to enter critical data in their records. At least 12 people, including two infants, says the Times, have died because of staff mistakes at Lincoln, which is the hospital relied upon by families in the St. Ann’s neighborhood.” This was very mind-boggling to me. I understand people need some where to go when their sick, injured or ill etcetera, but I believe Lincoln hospital should have been shut down immediately until things were clear up and fix.  It makes me wonder what are the rules and regulations for things like this. What bothers me the most is the hospital was not denied once it was more than once. How long is this going to go on, who is responsible? There were just a lot of questions running through my mind. “

Kozol also stated, “The pastor tells me that the place is known as ‘Children’s Park.’ Volunteers arrive here twice a week to give out condoms and clean needles to addicted men and women, some of whom bring their children with them. The children play near the bears or on a jungle gym while their mothers wait for needles.” This also made my mind boggle. I do not know the whole situation and I do not want to call these mother a bad parent but to me I do not believe that is not a good environment to have your child in. I respect that there were volunteers out there trying to keep people clean and safe but what about the children. What was being done for them? How was their home life? Instead of giving clean needles to encourage the usage what about stopping them for their children? I do not know I just had so much thoughts running through my mind.