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A review by jexjthomas
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by Edward Burns, David Simon
5.0
As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most important books published in the last twenty years. David Simon and Ed Burns's wonderful book tackles life in the inner city, both on the macro and micro levels, looking at not only the crushing, systemic problems, but the fleeting joys -- and how far some people will go to recreate those joys. Centering mostly on the McCullough family, The Corner also features a rich cast of supporting characters, whose lives and stories are just as interesting as the McCulloughs', and whose failures and successes are just as affecting.
Structurally, the book switches between a fairly straight narrative about the McCullough family and those around them, and essay-like asides tackling the broader issues at play. That said, Simon and Burns are never prescriptive or condescending, nor do they hold the reader's hand and direct him to particular conclusions. This is a world that is morally ambiguous, and the authors are careful not to moralize, leading to a book that feels truly journalistic, which is eminently readable and moving.
This is a book that I've recommended to nearly everyone I know, and which I've forced into the hands of dozens of people. It's a book that goes a long way to describe the experience of people that often get ignored, or who are prejudged and written off -- or worse. I feel very strongly that The Corner should be required reading in high school sociology classes. It'd be like a mainline of compassion.
As an added bonus for fans of The Wire, you'll notice a lot of similarities between some of the folks that populate real world Bawlmer and those we've come to know and love on The Wire.
Structurally, the book switches between a fairly straight narrative about the McCullough family and those around them, and essay-like asides tackling the broader issues at play. That said, Simon and Burns are never prescriptive or condescending, nor do they hold the reader's hand and direct him to particular conclusions. This is a world that is morally ambiguous, and the authors are careful not to moralize, leading to a book that feels truly journalistic, which is eminently readable and moving.
This is a book that I've recommended to nearly everyone I know, and which I've forced into the hands of dozens of people. It's a book that goes a long way to describe the experience of people that often get ignored, or who are prejudged and written off -- or worse. I feel very strongly that The Corner should be required reading in high school sociology classes. It'd be like a mainline of compassion.
As an added bonus for fans of The Wire, you'll notice a lot of similarities between some of the folks that populate real world Bawlmer and those we've come to know and love on The Wire.