I purchased this book recently and was very disappointed by the way the late author characterized African Americans who lived in the lower hill of Pittsburgh, PA. My roots are in Pittsburgh and I have first hand testimony from my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and neighbors about growing up in the lower hill of the hill district. His description of children being partially unclothed and showing one child that way was horrific! My Grandmother Margaret fed many children of diverse backgrounds at her table, black white, Polish, Jewish because none of that mattered. My parents, aunts and uncles were families made up of husbands and wives. I’m so sorry I purchased this book. It felt as if the author harbored views about lower income African Americans that were somewhat disparaging. Any group regardless of income might have those who aren’t family oriented or non upstanding citizens. This book made me think I wasn’t reading about my family’s experience in the lower hill or my own experiences growing up in the hill district of Pittsburgh.
