Jesus M Jova

Growing Up Guilty Jesus M Jova

This story takes you through the life of a boy coming up in the tough streets of Brooklyn, particularly East New York where at the time, the body count was the highest in the country. It's the tale of his journey from an innocent child to a crack hustling soldier, forced to go to war with the same people who put him on to the game. In this concrete jungle, carrying a gun gives a false sense of security against predators. And Gino, our protagonist, comes to the realization that even in the streets the law is the ultimate predator. This book was written to reflect what life has been like for millions of kids like Gino, growing up in ghettos across America. It's about ghetto psychology. There are many children who are being raised to have a warped sense of reality. It's about how growing up in the midst of drugs and violence creates a sense of acceptance and normality. This story echos how rearing children with immediate surroundings like those in the ghetto makes them tend to believe that this is a normal life. The mentality it creates blocks an awareness of any outside world. It's like trying to describe the ocean to a frog living in a well. It would be impossible for him to imagine it. The purpose for this book is to bring attention to the following questions: After years and years of being trained to have a hood mentality, what do people expect from these children? How then can they be held accountable for their actions? Many will argue that in life everyone has choices, which implies that people who commit crimes choose to be bad. By implication that argument states that minorities are bad people, considering the fact that the majority of those in prison, parole and probation are Black or Brown. So ask yourself, is it really that simple?