Lafeyette Rivers

Lafeyette is the ultimate example of the dream deferred. He is one of two brothers who live in the projects of Chicago and who is the subject of Alex Kotlowitz's exposé of life for the children of the inner city. Lafeyette is the one who is most affected by the dying of his dreams and the loss of his friends. He faces in the beginning of his adolescence more tragedy than most adults face in a lifetime. He sees violence and watches death creep all around him, but somehow he keeps his head and stays mostly out of trouble. Unfortunately, he is one of those young men who is found guilty for something he didn't do and is thus an object of the kind of racism that is the most damaging - racism supported by the rule of law. However, Lafeyette has great potential, and by the end of the narrative, he seems on the right track.

Pharoah Rivers

He is the other brother and the one who is most sensitive to life in the inner city. He worries about whether he will grow up, is easily reduced to tears, and hides behind his youth to avoid worrisome situations. He is also the more intelligent of the two brothers and will no doubt be more successful in escaping........

LaJoe Rivers

The boys' mother, LaJoe is a deeply emotional person who hates the life her children must endure. She worries........

Terence Rivers

He is a symbol of what life in the projects can do to a child who grows up there. He is the older brother of Lafeyette and Pharoah and the one who is his mother's greatest disappointment. He has for most of his life been her favorite, but he can't keep himself away from the wrong crowd and ends up in prison for an.......

Rickey

A friend to both Lafeyette and Pharoah, he is an unsettling influence on them. He is sweet and well liked, but he is too often in trouble and might pull them down with him. Rickey is definitely the lost child who leaves a desert behind, according to Longfellow. He is always mannerly and on his best behavior when he..........

Dawn Anderson

She is LaJoe's niece and only the second member of the family to graduate from high school. She is their success story and brings disappointment when she doesn't move out of Horner right away or get a good job immediately. She is the boys' role model and when she doesn't succeed, they are bewildered. As such, she.......

Paul Rivers

LaJoe's husband and the father of all her children, he is a constant disappointment to the family, because of his alcohol and drug problem. He doesn't......

Craig Davis

He is a young black male who is a success story and a role model for Lafeyette. His death at the hands of the police is devastating. He can easily be defined as one of the best and brightest of the black community. He volunteers to play his music at Horner so that the people there can have some respite from their daily........

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