A lyrical coming-of-age story set in the projects of Toledo, Ohio, “Animals I Want to See” explores themes of identity, ambition, religion, and friendship, often across racial and social lines, as it spotlights a family of fourteen and tracks a boy's journey from a child janitor with big dreams to a teenage petty criminal to a student at Yale and Harvard.
“Animals I Want to See One Day," is home to dreams of adventure in places far away from the downtrodden neighborhood where he lives. But for all its hardship and crime, Bronson Street is also something of a mythical street, populated by unforgettable people who share food, protect each other, and give surprising gifts of beauty and merriment, proving that the bonds of community and friendship (often across racial and social lines) can bridge any divide and transcend what many of us are taught to believe about each other.
