Communities and ecosystems Book

What can be defined as ghetto? Location, race, economic status, all the above? Cora Daniels, NYC journalist and proud resident of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, goes on a journey to find all things ghetto. Her grounding assumption: ghetto is a mind-set or mentality. Hence why Gwyneth Paltrow, Jamie Foxx, Paris Hilton and others can join the ranks of folks who sport gigantic TVs bought with welfare checks, armored SUVs, do-rags, and live by the mantra "get rich or die trying".

In this journey she looks at family, hip-hop, education, and other notable topics and how they relate to ghattonation. It's not a pleasant trip. How could it be? The rap/hip-hop industry has black folk clownin around and filling the pockets of white music execs who laugh at their own audience (ghetto). Sporting a wedding ring makes you more likely to be asked out on a date (ghetto). The great expectation of the last day of school is "didyapass?" (ghetto).

There's a problem out there that many would say exists only in the projects of Black America. Even Bill Cosby put it that way (whoops). Daniels says it isn't that simple and I found her reasoning and stories quite interesting. Her descriptions of people's ghettoness reminded me of many things I've seen in my very own, very white hometown. I sometimes found her writing a bit uneven and choppy - hence the three stars - but her points seem worth considering and investigating further.