Word on the Street Lit: Franklin White, Treasure Hernandez & Dutchess
Jun 14, 2010Word on Street Lit
by Rollie Welch, Collection Manager, Cleveland Public Library
Between 2008 and 2010, I served as a member of the Best Books for Young Adults committee sponsored by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association). Of the 2500 teen books delivered to my home, I estimate examining only about 50 titles featuring African American characters. Today many inner-city teenagers, frustrated by the dearth of YA titles featuring black characters going through similar life situations, fill their reading void with adult street lit. Yet parents, teachers, and librarians frown on urban fiction as a negative influence for young readers. In this month's column two titles featuring teen protagonists caught in realistic conflicts--Franklin White's First Round Lottery Pick and Travis Hunter's Two the Hard Way--have great potential to hook readers, especially African American young men. They're not as grimy as hard-core street lit but also are not so squeaky clean that they're lame. Call them "almost street lit."
Pick of the Month
Poindexter Village, or The Vil, is a rough section in Columbus, OH, where dwellings are hooked up to bootleg cable and the drug trade flourishes. High school basketball sensation Langston Holiday, known as L, plans to skip college, go overseas to play ball for a year, then move to the NBA. But selfish folks latch onto the budding star. Using her smokin' body, femme fatale Katrina works on L while Tori, L's girlfriend, guards her virginity until she becomes his wife. Jalen, the baller's sidekick, is suspicious of Toy, a thug maneuvering to be L's agent. They're all products of the hood and willing to lie, cheat, and kill for a piece of the rising star's big money. Verdict Marked by great street dialog, a gripping storyline, and devious relationships, this story, first published in 2005 in hardcover by Blue/Black Press, will absorb teen and adult readers,
Hernandez, Treasure. Flint: The Finale. Urban Bks. (Flint, Bk. 7.) 2010. 148p. ISBN 978-1-60162-271-6. pap. $13. F
In this final installment of the long-running series, Malek and Halleigh are still together but have bolted out of Flint, MI, and set up shop pushing product in Baltimore. Malek establishes himself as a major force in the drug game, but trouble always seems to find this player. This time it comes in the form of thug Scar Johnson and crooked cop Derek Fuller, who set Malek up to to be pushed out of the game or killed. He's no amateur gangster, but his Achilles heel is his devotion to Halleigh and their son, Malek Jr. Verdict Hernandez sets up double and triple crosses, as readers want to shout out to Malek to keep his head down. Fans will miss the popular series, but a teaser tells us it's not over until it's over. Hernandez's next big thing, The Baltimore Chronicles, is due out in September 2010. Stay tuned.
Dutchess. Dutchess: A Novel by Dutchess. Change the Game Pub. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-1-451-52990-6. $15. F
Eighteen-year-old Sade Blackwell is living easy in her middle-class suburban home when her father is executed on the order of Haitian drug lord Kennytha Baptise. Vowing to be the baddest bitch that ever walked the streets of Chicago, Sade re-invents herself as Dutchess and gets into the drug game. Determined to get close to Baptise, Dutchess intends to kill him, but her partner, Pirelli, advises her, "...the game will make you rich, put you in a ditch, or make you a snitch." Verdict Self-publishing is a double-edged sword. On one hand, readers get a raw first-hand look at street lit, and this author knows how the drug biz works. On the other hand, the work is bursting with glaring errors in spelling, grammar, and format. It's difficult to recommend this book to experienced fans of street lit who deserve better.
Hunter, Travis. Two the Hard Way. Dafina: Kensington. Jul 2010. 256p. ISBN 978-0-7582-4250-1. pap. $9.95. F
Romeo Braxton, the 17-year-old quarterback of Atlanta's Tucker High School, is headed to college gridiron glory. That is if he can make his way out of the projects. His brother, Kwame, is paroled from jail, but his street buddies want to pull him back into the game. Plus, their mother is messed up on drugs, or is she? Romeo's girlfriend kicks him to the curb when she finds out he fooled around with sassy Vonetta and got her pregnant. Everyone offers Romeo advice hoping he gets himself straight. But as Kwame says, "...the people who smile in your face will be the first ones to stab you in the back." Verdict Why didn't this author write YA novels back when I was a teen librarian? There's little cussing here, but that doesn't mean it's tame. Inner-city teens will snatch it up, and it's also a perfect fit for incarcerated juveniles eager for stories about teenagers caught up in crime. Stick a post-it on your computer screen reminding you to order Hunter's next book, At the Crossroads, due out in December 2010.
Johnson, Brandi. In My Girls I Trust. Urban Bks. Jun. 2010. 375p. ISBN 978-1-60162-215-0. pap. $14.95. F
Three tight friends, Alexis, India, and Keaundra, work at having fun and talk trashing, but their relationships with men have tons of drama. When things get tough, the saucy ladies grab some take-out from Red Lobster and drown their sorrows with champagne and sometimes tequila. There's a whole list of wrongs going on. Lying, cheating, abuse, unwanted pregnancy, stalking, and, ultimately, murder keep pages turning. Without a roster to identify the players, it's tough to remember who is doing whom. But each character certainly does it, either with style or nastiness. Verdict The multiple intricate relationships bog Johnson's (Spoiled Rotten) story down, making it slow to pick up momentum, and the snappy tone makes the book read like a Midwestern version of Sex in the City. Yet India, Alexie, and Kenundra earn readers' sympathy, the men in their lives are that bad. Stick with this one, there's a big WOW in the last 35 pages.
Reign. Shyt List III: And a Child Shall Lead Them. Cartel Pub. 2010. 257p. ISBN 978-0-9823913-8-9. pap. $15. F
Yvonna Harris can run but she can't hide from her past. Diagnosed with schizophrenia she's now out of the mental hospital, but there are many debts to settle. With the help of gangster and male friend, Bricks, Yvonna struggles to keep her life straight and be a decent mother to Delilah. Her sometimes female lover, Ming, talks Yvonna into running coke up I-95 from D.C. to New York. Before all that, Yvonna has to deal with assassins. Worse yet, her evil alternate personality, Gabriella, takes over Yvonna's mind and body with gruesome results. Verdict This reviewer was reminded of a B-movie horror storyline with wild car chases, killings, drug parties, and gross sex scenes that keep coming at a rapid clip. Characters pop in without introduction, making it helpful to have read the first two books. Strap yourselves in, this one moves fast, like a high-speed Flickr slideshow. When finished, take a deep breath, Shyt List IV is "coming soon." Patron demand will be high.
