I was particularly intrigued by the old men’s view on race, which boiled down to this: Whites and blacks would never be able to talk openly, let alone live together.
-- Author (chapter 1 paragraph 23)

Importance: In researching about race and poverty, the author ran across an old but viable belief that the two races could never live in harmony. His goal was to learn why they held so strongly to that belief.

It seemed they were as confused as I was. I wasn’t armed, I didn’t have tattoos, I wasn’t wearing anything that showed allegiance to another gang – I didn’t wear a hat turned toward the left or right, for instance, I wasn’t wearing blue or red, I didn’t have a star insignia anywhere, either the five- or six-point variety.
-- Author (chapter 1 paragraph 71)

Importance: Sudhir visited a housing project on the south side of Chicago to do research on being black and...