Reading Response to The Street by Ann Petry

       I've begun to read The Street by Ann Petry, and so far it is a really interesting book.  I have barely gotten to the second chapter so there is not a huge conflict or anything, just a setting of the scene and stating the already existent problems, such as money and a child and its education.  These are common problems of most people in today's society so this makes the book more relatable to begin with.  This book though is a fictitious story about an African American family (a mother and a boy) who live in Harlem.  They lived with some family, but the mother decided that that was not a good environment for her young son, so she went looking for another apartment that they could move into.  This small life change would hopefully help her son grow into a prosperous young man instead of a drunk like some of his other family.
       The theme of doing what is best for your child and not for you is present here.  I think this is an important idea and difficult concept of parenthood because when you become a mother or father, it is no longer about you or what you want.  It is about what you child wants or needs.  The mother in this story knew that she had to get her son to a better home so she spent what she had worked for and saved to buy them an apartment.  She didn't think twice about it.  Even though this was her money and she would have been fine to stay living where they were living, she decided that the best thing to do for her child, rather then her, was to spend that money and move away.
       As I said, I have barely gotten to the second chapter so there is not much more in the story just yet. This book seems very good so far and is extremely descriptive of the setting.  I find that most stories lack a decent description of the setting, so that makes this book even better and fun to read.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, especially that takes place in New York.