MacDonald, Michael. Whitey Bulger, Boston Busing, and Southie’s Lost Generation. Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, 2014, https://www.schusterinstituteinvestigations.org/southies-lost-generation.
In Whitey Bulger, Boston Busing, and Southie’s Lost Generation, Michael MacDonald, who grew up in a South Boston housing project, shares his personal experience of being a Southie resident in the 1980s, and he describes how impoverished and poor the living conditions were in his neighborhood, the Lower End. Most of the evidence MacDonald uses consists of first-hand accounts discussing what life was like being a project rat (as he calls it), but he also includes primary artifacts, such as newspaper headlines, to support his reasoning and allow the reader to visualize the severity of his situation. The intended audience is individuals unfamiliar with the history of South Boston who want to learn about how the area was divided between the rich and the poor. In addition to scrutinizing Whitey Bulger for seizing his criminal empire when South Boston was in disarray, MacDonald’s purpose is to write a telling article that causes readers to sympathize for the youth that grew up in the broken down portion of South Boston; he refers to this youth as “Southie’s Lost Generation.”
Although my story will contain fictional elements to advance my plot, I want it to also be somewhat historically accurate, which will give it deeper meaning and cause the story to resonate with readers who grew up in Southie housing projects. In my opinion, giving fictional stories real elements allows such stories to be more believable. A main component of my story is how Wyatt and Beth want to leave their housing project because they have a baby on the way. After reading this article, I have a better sense of what the Lower End was like, improving my ability to accurately describe the setting of my story. In addition to having high unemployment, I want to mention in my story that a main reason why Beth and Wyatt want to leave the Lower End is due to the underfunded public schools that aren’t safe.