Foreword for picture

At a young age Antonio Brown wanted to play in the NFL. The road to the NFL is usually hard, but for Brown it was even harder. When Brown was 16 he was asked by his Mom to leave the house. Brown thought of the situation as a positive moment in his life rather than a negative one. He thought of it as a way to help him become a better person and a better man.

            Antonio grew up in Liberty City just outside of Miami. Liberty City sounds like a nice place but the name can be deceiving. It was impossible not to be affected by crime and violence and for most growing up there gunfire was just background noise. Liberty City was not a nice place to grow up. When Brown got kicked out of his house he bounced around from his friends houses. Anywhere where he could get a few hours sleep he would go to.

Brown’s life consisted of going to school and football. Despite the trouble he wasn’t angry or envious at anyone.  He didn’t hold any grudges. “ Brown didn’t allow the experience to make him bitter and angry, and today he holds no grudge against those who weren’t there for him growing up… Today Antonio Brown is a young man with a constant smile and a positive despite attitude.” Brown stayed positive despite all that happened to him.

Boy 21 synthesis page

How does this text make you think about justice in the world?

This text makes me think about all the towns all of the country that just aren't a safe environment to live in. The town in the text is full of mob violence, drugs, and graffiti. "Only, seven or so blocks from our homes, drug dealers hang out by the town courts and old men sit around drinking from brown paper bags." This quote shows how the town is not safe to live in. The town is not the only one, many towns across the US struggle to maintain order. In a few towns the police are corrupt and don't help people. The book has made me realize how tough it is for some children to grow up in areas where it's not safe to step outside of your house alone.

This text has also made me realize how affected some people are by a loss of a loved one. In the story a boy named Russ loses his parents, and then moves to live with his grandparents. There he pretends that he is an alien and that his parents are going to rescue him. He did all this because he was so upset by his parents loss. Russ does this to avoid get his mind of his parents death and to try and forget about it. Russ, who was being scouted by colleges for basketball, gave up his basketball career because he was so sad when his parents died.

 Is this story fair? Why/why not?

No, the story is not fair because children should not be forced to live in a neighborhood where you are not able to go outside alone. Also, there is a very powerful mob in town, and they killed the main characters mother, and hit his friend with a car and severely injured her. Kids shouldn't have to grow up with this type of violence so close to them. 

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