Growing up in the projects is hard enough, but add in the fact that you're a white kid and you have some idea of ​​what Dalton Conley must have had to grow up with. Now a successful sociologist, Dalton Conley explains in his book the trials and tribulations he faced to survive in the projects and his battle against race. Conley was more exposed to the idea of ​​race than most children, growing up in one of the only white children in New York City's public housing projects populated by black and Puerto Rican families. His parents were artists, whose low income and desire to break societal molds led them to apply for housing in then-relatively new projects. Like most children, Conley was initially quite unaware of race, a fact demonstrated when, as he recounts in one of many revealing anecdotes, he kidnapped a black baby to be his sister, but never realize the difference in skin color. In recent years, he has lived a double life, struggling to fit in with both the neighborhood kids and his high-achieving classmates. These subtle descriptions give the reader a sense of how uncomfortable he felt growing up in a community where it was not normal for a person of his nature to grow up. One of the strongest aspects of Honky is the way Conley describes how he gradually became aware of class and ethnic privilege in American society. One day, after a child molester was caught castrating boys in the bathrooms of his first school near the projects, Conley's mother was able to lean on the connections of an artist friend and s 'register. him to a Greenwich Village school using a false address. At this school, however, he was able to fit in with kids whose parents lived in the largely white world of academia and anti-nuclear... middle of paper ... improve. There were many black people who disagreed with Conley and voiced their opinions because of it. Another interesting topic to discuss is why this white boy was forced to live in such poor conditions. Dalton Conley stated in the book that despite his mother and father's economic circumstances, his family was able to maintain a livable lifestyle that many neighbors and friends at the time were unable to enjoy. His family could have moved to a more refined, upscale community, but simply couldn't afford it. In conclusion, throughout this book race, it takes on many different forms and ideas. Let us not forget that racism exists not only in our community, but all over the world. Dalton Conley does a wonderful job explaining that just because you don't think something good can come from something bad doesn't mean it can't be the case..