...1 The book Code of the Street is a book about urban city life in Philadelphia, PA, for African Americans and how unwritten laws are vital to abide and obtain in order to survive. In this book, Elijah Anderson captivates the reader’s attention by presenting extensive research on how Philadelphia natives adopt the laws of the code of the street and how and when to use these codes of survival. He provides several interviews with many different people who are either forced to enter the code of the street or who are the enforcers. Nonetheless, all are victims because the code is a factor in everybody’s life. As I read this book, I noticed how the code of the street could be a good thing and also a bad thing. I say a good thing because, first and foremost, no one wants to be disrespected and I saw how many of the characters adopted this role in the street life to gain respect and to not be fearful and to be viewed as a “tough” guy. I also saw adopting the code of the street as a bad thing because I saw that there were decent people who were forced to engage in the negativity that the street produced on a daily basis. I saw how the good turned into bad while the bad either were campaigning to be badder or campaigning to make something of themselves. You would think that trying to better your life, especially coming from the ghetto, would be two thumbs up but in the city of Philadelphia, as Anderson described, was a hard obstacle to overcome. Hate, jealousy and envy were the dominant...
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