A Violent Life — Pier Paolo Pasolini

Revealing that a beautiful and cultured European city has a dark and dangerous underbelly, this novel chronicles the violent lives of Rome's slum inhabitants. Born in a shantytown, Tommaso Puzzilli was once young and hopeful, but he soon succumbs to life on the streets, where he must resort to crime and prostitution simply to stay alive. Written by an author who ultimately suffered the same chilling fate as one of his characters, this fictional account offers a startling portrait of the very real tragedies of urban poverty.