Book Review
Note to writer- I’m not sure if you’ve read either ‘THERE ARE NO CHILDREN HERE |By KOTLOWITZ’ or ‘SAVERS (40TH ANNIV.EDITION) |By PLATT’ but you can choose either book you want to write about. I don’t have the pdf link to them but search for either of them and if you can’t find it please let me know so you can use quotes if you need to include them. If you haven’t read these please just look up the summaries and analysis to either of them. Also, feel free to speak from the sense of an African American male as I am one. This is due midnight the 18th but that wasn’t an option.
In 500-800 words, describe your reaction to the book. Include details about text with proper citations, relate any theories and concepts (note to writer- That just means behavioral theories of why people commit crimes, feel free to write about any as we have covered them all) from class to the characters and events of the book but also describe how the book made you feel or how it prompted you to think more deeply about a topic.
The intent of these entries is to demonstrate that you completed the reading and gain experience writing in APA format. They should be no less than 500 words.
Expected Guidelines:
Submit in a double-spaced word document
Do not use contractions (use do not instead of don’t)
No more than 1-2 direct quotes, no direct quotes over 39 words (quotes that are 40 words need to be in a free-standing block according to APA formatting, and these papers are too short to have a quote that long).
Book Review
The writer suggested writing a book about two friends, Lafayette and Pharaoh, and other children in the neighborhood. According to the mother words, “there are no children here because the children have seen too much to be called children.” According to the writer, the children in America have experienced enough terror compared to adults’ experience in a lifetime. For instance, the children witness death and live with anxiety where most form gangs, get involved in drug dealing. Various behavioral theories support the two friends’ life experiences and involvement in delinquency; for instance, the social learning theory According to the social learning theory, people engage in crime due to the influence of social surroundings, including people around. Criminal behaviors are learned from leading to criminal cases; for instance, Lafayette and Pharaoh’s neighborhood experience led to gang and drug dealing. According to behavioral theory, people commit crimes after seeing others reward for the same kind of acts or punishment for certain behaviors. Pharaoh and Lafayette neighborhood had learned everything about the neighborhoody at the age of twelve; for instance, the area had no banks, and forty percent, black people.
Nevertheless, the community had designed correction facilities for children, such as daycare, counseling services, recreational activities, and programs, such as better days for youths. The social facilities were meant for children involved in delinquency under the age of thirteen. Conditioning is a core aspect of behavioral theories where the environment influences an individual’s behavior since childhood. Criminal behaviors occur in the cultural conflict area, such as Lafayette’s family set-up, which was characterized by aggressive behavior and criminal activities, such as stealing. Some behaviors are inherited, such as Lafayette’s inherited bad temper from the mother. On the other hand, Pharaoh was an introvert, too sensitive to slightest jokes, and would cry alot. Also, Pharaoh had developed learning problems, very forgetful and had a problem of daydreaming. The behaviours could lead the two children in problem both in school and in the city.
Additionally, the behavioral theory explains that criminality is supported by social and psychological behaviors, where humans character is shaped by the social environment, personality, and genetics. Pharaoh and Lafayette’s mother wished the best for the children, a life where they could go to school, enjoy family and school rewards, and later get good jobs. The neighborhood’s violence and drug use eroded their morals, and were concerned that the children would not make it to the eighteenth birthday. Most children had died in the city, where Lajoe had started paying for burial insurance for the children. Despite Pharaoh and Lafayette’s efforts to stay away from criminality and impress the mother, the behavior was already conditioned in mind since childhood. The environment had critically affected their judgment and personalities. Lafayette and Pharaoh could not evade crime and hence, taken to a juvenile temporary detention center.
The book made me think deeply about how family dynamics, childhood development, and the environment can influence a person’s behavior regardless of their efforts to evade crime. According to behavioral theory, behaviors are learned and conditioned in mind, hence challenging to evade. Additionally, Pharaoh and Lafayette’s mother influence and played a role in the two friend’s involvement in criminality. For instance, aggressive behavior inherited from the mother affected Lafayette’s behavior in the future. Children are delicate and learn everything from their parents and the people around them. Children behave in specific ways to please adults; hence protecting children from harsh environments and becoming a morally upright parent is the best way to avoid children’s delinquency.
