Andrea Elliott

Invisible Child fut nommé LAURÉAT DU PRIX PULITZER 2021.

C'est la biographie d'une jeune afro-américaine depuis ses huit ans, de son inexorable courage pour essayer de s'extirper de son quotidien, fait de violences, drogues, parents emprisonnés tour à tour, séparations d'avec sa nombreuse fratrie... le constat d'une Amérique fracturée, encore de nos jours, qui lutte pour sauver ses enfants, principalement à New York, dont le taux de pauvreté explose, encore aujourd'hui.

Un livre tranchant et boulversant, qui aborde la misère vue par les yeux d'une enfant, mais aussi par ceux de sa mère et de son beau-père, incapables de subvenir aux besoins fondamentaux de leurs enfants, malgré l'amour pour eux.
Un echec cuisant causé à ces enfants, arrachés à leurs parents déficients qu'ils aiment cependant, et qu'aucune aide du Gouvernement, ne parviendra à remplacer !

Andrea Elliott, Journaliste, a su saisir d'une manière saisissante les tragédies que vivent cette famille, emblématique de l'extrême pauvreté de l'Amérique, mais aussi de l'impuissance de l'aide sociale apportée.

A lire !… (mais)

Invisible Child is a detailed but profound picture of the life of a young homeless girl and her family in NYC. There is so much wrong with the systems that are supposed to help lift people out of poverty. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and point fingers in every direction, but actually reading about one case among many clearly indicates that it's not that easy and the solutions are not at all obvious.
I am cheering for Dasani and her family, but it is clear that any progress they make towards change is due to hard work against unbelievable odds with little help from those who are in set up in positions to help. It seems that the most help comes from those whose lives intersect in other support roles and show kindness and understanding, often teachers and other people of the street or in poverty.
This book will not leave you unaffected. You will have an opinion, one way or another. It is a provocative read which I highly recommend.
My thanks to the author who gave up so much of her life to recording and sharing this story. You are an unsung hero in your own work, and I suspect were also a highly trusted and motivating force in the lives of this family. Bless you!… (mais)

A reporter embeds herself in an impoverished family with eight children and follows them until the eldest daughter, Dasani, is an adult. Honestly, I am not quite sure what to conclude from this very compelling piece of narrative non- fiction other than we really have yet to figure out how to save children from anything . . .the failures of parenting, government, schools, . . .anything.

Interestingly, Dasani is accepted to the Hershey School which literally does everything possible to provide for a child's needs . . .all the financial support, professional "parents", counselors, education, etc. And yet, in this case, even that wasn't really the answer.

Very worthwhile reading just as a starting point for understanding . . .but I found this story to be heartbreaking in so many ways.… (mais)

Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot is a 2021 Random House publication.

This book is the result of a journalistic piece that first appeared in the New York Times in 2013, which was centered around Dasani- named after the bottled water- an eleven-year-old girl, who at that time was one of eight children, in a family of ten, living in a shelter. Initially, the piece was five segments long, but the author ending up following Dasani and her family for eight years.

While Dasani is a beacon, her circumstances are dispiriting. Yet, she is enduring and triumphs in the face of overwhelming adversity. While the reader is cheering for Dasani, what the author achieves is a searing look at the homelessness of children in New York.

Dasani's family history is explored, as well the history of the public or child assistance and welfare programs, which also show how woefully short these avenues of assistance fall. It is heartbreaking to see these families torn apart, and I will not forget Dasani or her spirit and determination in the face of the challenges she’s endured.

While I appreciate the author’s deep, deep research, and I understand why she might have felt the need to include all the material that made it into this book, especially after putting so much time into it, unfortunately, it became mind-numbing after a while, and I think the book could have been edited down and still had the same impact- maybe even more so.

Other than that, this book is worth the accolades it received. It is bleak and depressing, but hope and inspiration abound as well.

4+ stars.… (mais)