The Endless War

I finished The Corner a couple of weeks ago and have since finished Generation Kill, both excellent reads. But of the three books I mentioned way back in this post, if I had to recommend only one that you should read, I'd have to say The Corner.

Homicide is a fascinating read, but I don't know how much it effects anyone. I don't think any of you are going to be killing anyone and hopefully, no one you know is killed in a manner that would require the services of a homicide detective.

Generation Kill is obviously timely and also very interesting. There is a little controversy regarding exactly how factual it is. Certain marines that were part of the events described in the book have argued with the way they are portrayed. But when you are portrayed as a bumbling idiot or an ineffectual leader, it makes sense that you would argue. So I would recommend reading it but read it with a critical mind and remember that two different people can often view the same events with very different perspectives.

The reason I would first recommend The Corner is because I think it does a wonderful job of breaking down a lot of the stereotypes and prejudices that we in the white middle class have about the drug culture and inner-city culture. You often hear, when discussing welfare and the awful circumstances of those born into the drug culture, that anyone can lift themselves out of the ghetto. If someone really wants to make something of themselves, they can no matter how terrible their childhood or upbringing. That's what America is all about, right? I'm sure that 99% of the time you hear these arguments from someone who is white and a member of the middle or upper class. This idea is an absolute fallacy. Anyone who truly believes this lives in a dream land. It is nearly impossible for us to really imagine the reality of what growing up in the drug culture is like.

Picture a child born to parents who are both heroin addicts. A father who is rarely around and even if he was, isn't capable of providing any real fathering. A mother who is there in body but rarely present as a real nurturer. Both parents live day-to-day, week-to-week, barely getting by, living only for the next blast of heroin. This child is out on the drug corner before even getting close to starting puberty. They may even work sometimes as a lookout for a drug crew. The parents can't stop it because, who are they to say anything? This child's entire life is colored by the culture of the drug corner. If this child even does make it to school with any regularity they are taught from a curriculum that can in no way relate to what their everyday life is and they are taught by teachers that are handcuffed by this system, if they're lucky enough to have a teacher that even cares at all anymore. And you think that this child has any real chance? No, this is a lie that we tell ourselves to make us feel better about being incapable of doing anything to change it.

And that's the real problem. Even being aware of how broken the system is and how completely screwed most of these kids are, I'm no more capable of seeing a real solution than anyone else. The entire thing is one endless circle of catch-22's layered on top of each other. Upon finishing the book I felt an abject hopelessness. These kids seem doomed to repeat the mistakes of their parents and start the whole thing over again.

So, is it a happy book? Definitely not. But I do think it is a fantastic window into a culture that I think very few of us really understand. And you'll be a better person for attempting to understand it.