You know, right when I was reading Marisol's book I thought about this very issue... to use a real, specific community name like that seemed like a risk, especially in a sure to be popular childrens book.

I'm from Chicago and have four friends who actually live in Pilsen; from what I've seen, it really isn't that rough a neighborhood, especially if you compare it to some parts of Cicero or Austin.

I also don't think Marisol's book was too harsh or out of line... it just made a probably true point that suburban living tends to be safer than urban living, especially in Chicago, where the murder rate is higher than NYC. But I could totally see where residents would not appreciate any additional tough image being spread about their home turf.