District 88 hosts annual ‘Author in the House’ event

On Feb. 12, District 88 hosted its annual “Author in the House” event.

The featured author was Alex Kotlowitz, writer of the award-winning national bestseller “There Are No Children Here.” The book chronicles two years in the lives of two boys, Lafeyette and Pharoah, struggling to survive in Chicago’s Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex disfigured by crime and neglect. “There Are No Children Here” was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the 150 most important books of the 20th century. In 1993, it was made into a TV movie (for ABC), produced by and starring Oprah Winfrey. Twenty years after its publication, it’s still used regularly in high school and college classes and to date has sold about 800,000 copies.

During his presentation at District 88, Kotlowitz spoke with students about his experience writing “There Are No Children Here.” He also showed clips from his film “The Interrupters,” which tells the moving and surprising story of three “violence interrupters” in Chicago, who with bravado, humility and even humor try to protect their communities from the violence they once employed. Kotlowitz then answered questions from the students. The presentation took place at Willowbrook and was streamed live at Addison Trail.

For more information about Kotlowitz, go to http://alexkotlowitz.com.