Charles J Martinez

Under the L Charles J Martinez

Growing Up In The Near North Side Of Chicago is an oral history, turned into a chronicle, obtained by personal interviews with my childhood friends recorded on audiotape. This book is not a scientific social document. It is not a confession, nor does it try to achieve catharsis. This book was written out of awe. I hold my childhood in awe. Awe that so much of the human condition can flow from such meager beginnings. I have been in touch with all those I interviewed and many others from the old neighborhood for many years, and when we get together at parties, weddings and funerals, one comment that runs through our conversations is, "How did we survive?" Behind this question is the realization that some did not survive; many brothers and friends fell by the wayside from drugs and crime.