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KNOCK ON ANY DOOR

Availability: In Stock
ISBN: 9780875805436
AuthorMotley, Willard
Pub Date01/03/1989
BindingPaperback
Pages515
CountryUSA
Dewey813.54
Quick overview This is the story of Nick Romano, a young immigrant, and his struggle to survive on the streets of Chicago. A series of events including a period in reform school, family conflicts, and a brief tragic marriage, culminate in Nick's arrest for the murder of a police officer.
€16.01

Willard Motley's 1947 best seller shocked the nation with its harsh depiction of the dark underbelly of the American dream. "Knock on Any Door" dramatizes young immigrant Nick Romano's struggle to survive when his father's business folds, leaving his family with no choice but to move to a poor neighborhood across town. A series of petty crimes land the former Catholic altar boy in reform school, where forceful "rehabilitation" only creates a hardened and resistant spirit among the inmates. Once released, Nick returns to Chicago, where family conflicts and a brief, tragic marriage spiral him further downward, culminating in his arrest for the murder of a police officer. The whole city watches the thrilling legal battle unfold as Nick takes the stand to fight for his life. Motley researched his novel on the streets of his native Chicago, talking to immigrants about their experiences and visiting juveniles in Illinois's youth detention centers. In "Knock on Any Door," Motley creates a painfully vivid picture of poverty, the struggle for ethnic identity, and the flaws of the penal system in urban America.

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Product description

Willard Motley's 1947 best seller shocked the nation with its harsh depiction of the dark underbelly of the American dream. "Knock on Any Door" dramatizes young immigrant Nick Romano's struggle to survive when his father's business folds, leaving his family with no choice but to move to a poor neighborhood across town. A series of petty crimes land the former Catholic altar boy in reform school, where forceful "rehabilitation" only creates a hardened and resistant spirit among the inmates. Once released, Nick returns to Chicago, where family conflicts and a brief, tragic marriage spiral him further downward, culminating in his arrest for the murder of a police officer. The whole city watches the thrilling legal battle unfold as Nick takes the stand to fight for his life. Motley researched his novel on the streets of his native Chicago, talking to immigrants about their experiences and visiting juveniles in Illinois's youth detention centers. In "Knock on Any Door," Motley creates a painfully vivid picture of poverty, the struggle for ethnic identity, and the flaws of the penal system in urban America.