PARTIALLY BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED IN THE HARLEM YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES UNLIMITED PROJECT, THIS BOOK, WRITTEN FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, DISCUSSES THE PROBLEMS OF GHETTO COMMUNITIES AND ITS INHABITANTS AS INTERPRETED FROM THE AUTHOR'S POSITION AS AN "'INVOLVED OBSERVER'." THE AUTHOR FEELS THAT ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE LOWER STATUS NEGRO ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF ALL POOR PEOPLE IN THE SLUMS, AMERICAN RACISM GIVES THE NEGRO A FEELING THAT HE IS UNABLE TO RISE ECONOMICALLY AND ESCAPE FROM THE SLUMS. THE BOOK ESSENTIALLY IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF GHETTO LIFE, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE GHETTO RESIDENT'S LACK OF POWER TO CHANGE HIS STATUS, AND THE INABILITY OR UNWILLINGNESS OF THOSE IN POSITIONS OF POWER TO USE THEIR POWER FOR CONSTRUCTIVE SOCIAL CHANGE. SPECIFICALLY, THE BOOK CONTAINS AN ANALYSIS SUPPORTED BY ANY AVAILABLE DATA OF THE SOCIAL DYNAMICS, PSYCHOLOGY, PATHOLOGY, POWER STRUCTURE, AND EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS OF NEGRO GHETTO LIFE. THERE ARE ALSO DISCUSSIONS OF THE APPROPRIATENESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE AND OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE NEGRO AND WHITE LIBERAL. AVAILABLE FROM HARPER AND ROW, PUB., INC., 49 EAST 33RD ST., N.Y. 16, N.Y. - PRICE $4.95, 284P. (JL)