One of the scene that stood out the most to me while I was reading Amazing Grace takes place on page 129. Jonathan Kozol, the author, is spending time speaking to some of the students at P.S. 65 after school has been let out. He walks home with a little girl named Anabelle and asks her about her idea of heaven. Anabelle responds that the good people go "upstairs" to heaven where everyone wears white nightgowns because they are angels. She also mentions that the children who die while they are still young go to heaven too. Even the dogs, cats, and other pets have their own place up in heaven and their owners can go and visit with them on the weekends. Finally, she says that no one uses money to pay for things in heaven because everything can be paid for with smiles.
This scene stood out the most to me because it seemed to be one of the fewer "happy" scenes in the book. While reading about Kozol's interaction with this little girl, I was reminded of the purity and innocence found in children. Even in the midst of all the terror, cruelty, and sickness around her, Anabelle is still able to have hope for a better world, whether in this life or the next. It saddens me, however, to know that Anabelle speaks from her own personal experiences in her neighborhood when she mentions all the young children who die young that go to heaven. I, like Anabelle, take comfort in the fact that these children and other good people will get to live a better life in heaven with God.
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