Give Me a Chance!

Living in poverty is a day-to-day survival of the fittest. Its difficult for children to understand how to maneuver each day, especially if their parents are unsure of how to manage their limited resources and sometimes lack the necessary skills to cope with the mental and physical challenges that poverty presents.

Children oftentimes are grossly affected by poverty. Many are hungry, lack needed resources such as school supplies, and do not get the proper treatment for health related matters. These kids go to school every day and are shunned by their peers and school personnel who may treat them badly simply because of their socio-economic status in which they had no control over. Sometimes, they have little to no parent support and are required to perform at the same academic level of other students who have all they need to succeed. Hungry and embarrassed, they try to hide themselves so as not to be noticed by sleeping in class, acting out, or simply dropping out. Thus, the cycle of poverty continues.

This book looks at poverty through the eyes of a child who is living it every day, all while facing challenges of his own to help his little brother maneuver the cycle while dealing with a mom who does not know how to cope. He has challenges in school until he meets his new fourth grade teacher. All he asks is to give him and his brother a chance. He defines that poverty does not mean that you are ignorant and incapable of being successful. It means that you lack some of the human, physical, and material resources to be successful. His circumstance changed when he meets his guardian angel in fourth grade.