La Vida, the original book,
is a sociological study,
by Oscar Lewis, of a poor
Puerto Rican family living in San Juan, Puerto Rico and New York. The
sub title, a chapter heading in the book, refers to the move the family
makes, at the urging of a social worker, from a slum dwelling to a housing
project, the caserío in Villa Hermosa. The mother talks
about how much worse it is for her in the caserío.
Housing
projects the world over are notorious for being incubators of social
unrest, ongoing poverty and crime. A trap, a prison, a dead end.