Why read Live to See the Day?

Book cover of Live to See the Day: Coming of Age in American Poverty

Book description

An indelible portrait of three children struggling to survive in the poorest neighborhood of the poorest large city in America

Kensington, Philadelphia, is distinguished only by its poverty. It is home to Ryan, Giancarlos, and Emmanuel, three Puerto Rican children who live among the most marginalized families in the United…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Live to See the Day as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Marybeth Gasman

Author

I live in Philadelphia and have witnessed the extreme poverty, crime, and drug use in some parts of the city. I have also seen the Philadelphia public schools close up and the unevenness of opportunity in the city.

Goyal follows the lives of three Puerto Rican children living in the Kensington neighborhood of the city. Kensington is rough and plagued by drug use, crime, poverty, and failing public schools. Goyal writes with incredible empathy and care about the near-insurmountable challenges these children face.

Using ethnography, he details how the local, state, and federal policies fail these students and how our…

From Marybeth's 3 favorite reads in 2023.