Straight Outta East Oakland by Harry Louis Williams II

Straight Outta East Oakland by Harry Louis Williams II

First off, this didn’t feel like the typical urban drama because the main character, Firstborn Walker, is a studious young man who just makes some really bad decisions.  He’s from East Oakland and has been accepted to a prestigious (fictitious) private college in Berkeley.  The only catch is he has to come up with 20% of his first year’s tuition in order to qualify to get the rest of his costs (tuition, books and dorm) paid for for his entire time there.  What makes this especially tricky is that he’s about to be evicted from his rented room and can’t find any type of job, no matter how hard he looks.  Out of desperation, what he finally decides to do is go along with his childhood friend Drama and sell marijuana until he can save up the money he needs to start school in the fall.  What are the odds that his plan will work out, or that this naive bookworm will even survive?

This book captured and kept my interest more than many urban dramas.  It felt authentic without glorifying the drugs and violence, while at the same time telling a suspenseful story.  Sometimes the writer does become a little preachy about the “black man’s plight in the hood,” but I think these are messages that especially need to be heard by readers of this particular genre.  I would recommend this to fans and urban drama and Bay Area urban teens and young adults.

We also own the sequel to this book, Straight Outta East Oakland 2, Trapped on the Track.

First Round Lottery Pick

First Round Lottery Pick by Franklin White

Langston Holiday is one of the best basketball players Cincinnati has ever seen.  He has been playing on the courts of Poindexter Village, aka The Vil, since he was four years old and is now the number one recruit in the nation.   But instead of heading off to college for a least a year before he can turn pro, he’s opted to sign up for the overseas draft and play three years in Europe, before going pro in the U.S.  He should be in line for a multi-million year contract, and suddenly things are changing for him in the hood.  His best friend Jalen will support him in whatever he wants to do, and his mom reluctantly agrees that it’s his decision, even though he will be giving up the chance at a free ride to UCLA, which she’s always dreamed of for him.  His girlfriend Tori adores him and supports him in whatever he wants to do.  His estranged father tries to tell him how important the college education would be for him, but he blows him off when his partner makes a sarcastic remark about Langston’s mom and takes off in anger.

Now The Vil is in an uproar at his news, some with envy and some folks trying to figure out how to cash in on Langston’s good fortune.  His girl-on-the-side Katrina won’t stop chasing him around the hood.  Toy, a former local ball player himself, has been badgering Langston for six months to sign with him and his newly formed sports agency.  Sadly, things never go as smoothly as one would like, especially in a hood like the Vil where everyone is up in everyone else’s business, and some folks are trying to capitalize on other’s good fortune to make their own money.  There are drug deals, a kidnapping, blackmail and more.

This page-turner deserves a play in all YA collections with a strong interest in urban drama.  The characters are solid, the action non-stop, and the writing decent.  I especially appreciated the the writer White went out of his way to avoid constant swearing, while still keeping the language realistic and authentic.  I found the ending a disappointment, but that’s just my opinion.

Try this title is you like Urban Drama, and the authors Sister Souljah, Tracy Brown, Ni-Ni Simone and Walter Dean Myers. Click HERE to see all our Urban Drama reviews.

Rules of Attraction

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

This great title is the second in Elkeles Perfect Chemistry trilogy.  In this book, Alex’s little brother Carlos moves from Mexico to live with him in Colorado, where he’s at college with his sweetheart Brittany. (These were the main characters from the first book Perfect Chemistry.  You don’t have to read that book for this one to make sense, but it is a fabulous story; in fact, I liked it better than the second one.)  Carlos is a smart aleck who enjoyed his life la vida loca with one of the Mexican gangs.  He can’t believe Alex is trying to mold him into a “whipped” college boy like he is, studying and taking long walks with his Gringa girlfriend.  After getting to some serious trouble with the law, Carlos is forced to move in with one of Alex’s professors, and his life goes from bad to worse.  What’s crazy to him is that he can’t get the professor’s straight-laced, hiking boot-wearing, independent daughter named Kiara off his mind, no matter what he does.  Sound familiar? Yes, this book reminded me a lot of the first in the trilogy, but that won’t stop anyone from being totally involved the the on-again, off-again relationship between the two seemingly opposite teens.  To this mix, throw in a drug lord who wants to use Carlos’ Mexican connections to further his business and the plot can’t get more complex.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend to all types of readers.  Even though it might seem like a typical good girl falls for the bad boy romance, it has deeper themes that will keep you engaged to the end –  family, making choices, acting responsibly.  Elkeles writes well from the teen perspective, using lots of current slang sprinkled with Spanish from Carlos.  She alternates chapters from both characters perspectives, really letting the readers get into their minds and see the conflicts first hand.

Here’s the professionally created video book trailer you can see from home.  It’s amazing and even has quotes from the book!

Concrete Candy

Concrete Candy by Apollo

This collection of six short stories depict life for young men on the streets of Oakland, or Oaktown as Apollo calls it.  Life is gritty, sometimes unfair,  and full of hard choices and racist adults.  The characters are realistic and their drama is captivating.  They speak the language of the streets, captured well by the author.  “School for kids, Ma,” Jamar tells his mother.  “I got ‘portant s**t to do.  MAN stuff.”  Sadly, Jamar’s MAN Stuff may end up getting him killed.

For me, the most amazing part of the book was that it was written by a thirteen-year-old Oakland boy.  His clear writing and mature insight into the urban lifestyle is far beyond his short life, and it would be interesting to see how his writing changes as he grows up. (The book was published in 1996, and I can’t find anything by him since then.)  He was mentored by the well-known Oakland writer Jess Mowry. (Mowry’s Babylon Boyz, Six out Seven & Way Past Cool are all part of our collection.)

This title was recommended to me by one of my favorite teacher and I agree with him:  it is classic urban drama.  We have three new copies and I’m sure they’ll be checked out continuously.

Punkzilla

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

This short book details fourteen-year-old Jamie’s journey across the country, trying to get to Memphis, Tennessee before his older brother succumbs to cancer.  Jamie, also known  by Punkzilla, tells his story through a series of letters to his brother Peter (“P”), letters he never actually sends.  Punkzilla and P both left home at an early age to escape their ultra conservative military dad, P leaving because he was gay and the dad couldn’t accept it, and Punkzilla running away from the military school the family had made him attend.

Jamie has escaped the life of a street kid in Portland, Oregon when he finds out his brother is dying, and seems more than content to leave behind his life as an Ipod thief and occasional druggie.  The author’s depiction of the street life these kids live is very realistic, sometimes brutally so.  Despite this somewhat depressing beginning to his story, Punkzilla meets a number of people on his road trip who go out of their way to be kind to him.

I found this book hard to put down, and found myself rooting for Punkzilla to make smart choices and get to his brother before it was too late.  Although sad, the ending was still optomistic.

Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

I originally read this book because one of our students had asked me to order it, and kept coming back once a week to see if it was here yet!  She was right; it is a wonderful love story, sort of like Romeo and Juliet but with a much more satisfying ending.  Brittany Ellis is a beautiful cheerleader who looks like she has the perfect life.  Alex Fuentes is a gang banger who can intimidate anyone with one of his dark, piercing looks.  They both look like perfect stereotypes, but in this case looks can be very deceiving.  When they are forced to be chemistry lab partners by the dictatorial Mrs. Peterson, each teen must face their own prejudices, while dealing with their own personal problems at the same time.  The truth is that Brittany’s perfectionist mom is making her crazy, especially when she threatens to send her disabled sister to an institution.  And Alex who saw his dad murdered  when he was just six, is only a member of the Latino Bloods gang to protect his family.

After accepting a bet to bed Brittany by Thanksgiving, Alex does his best to seduce his lab partner, but finds himself falling for her despite his common sense.  This book is definitely filled with plot twists, and what I liked about it is that it’s way more than a love story.  It also deals with the facades people all put up to protect themselves from getting hurt.  The gang activity feels pretty realistic, without glorifying the street life like some urban drama does.  I also appreciated that the story tackled the difficult subject of honesty in a  friendship, when it’s all you can do to be honest with yourself.

Don’t be fooled the the romantic cover of this book; it’s way more that a simple romance.  Simone Elkeles did a great job blending tough teen issues with a love story, and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now by Jim Tharp

Sutter Keely is a high school senior who insists on living in the moment;  “embracing the weird.”  He says, “Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want.  Me, I’ve always been more than content to tip my whiskey bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now.”  Sutter has been drinking regularly since the seventh grade, and is known as the class party guy.  His beautiful girlfriend, Cassidy, dumps him because he can’t even do the one thing she begged him to do in their latest heart-to-heart talk.  Frankly, he doesn’t even remember what it is she wanted…

I found myself charmed by Sutter one minute, and angry at him the next.  When he takes up with a socially inept girl named Aimee, I wanted to hurt him, since there seems no way out but hurt for her, especially after she starts drinking vodka and cranberry juice to keep up with him.

Over all, this was a good book.  I appreciated that the ending was realistic, although not the fairy tale ending we sometimes prefer.

The Coldest Winter Ever

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah

This book was about a rich family whose  father was Ricky Santiaga,  one of the biggest drug dealers in Harlem. Winter Santiaga, the main character of the book, is a teenager who looked up to her father. Her father gets sent to prison for conspiracy of murder and possession of drugs.  Everything is taken away from them: their house, cars, and money. Winter has to restart her life all over again while her sisters are in Child Protective Services.

I liked this book because it shows how a family who has everything  can lose it all.   I give this book a 10,  grade A  and 5/5 stars.

Written by Omar, class of 2010

Criminal Minded

Criminal Minded by Tracy Brown
This is a good book for any teen to read. It goes into detail about a teen growing up in the ghetto and how his obsession for money made him go as  low to selling drugs. Lamin Michaels then falls in love with a beautiful girl named Lucky,  that makes him rethink the drug game. There was conflict  because people didn’t like the fact that he was selling drugs in their neighborhood, so he had problems, especially with his partner Zion. When he finally got legit,  his friends and cousin try to keep him and the streets and on his hustle.   So with all the drama will they still want to be able to be on the top and have him keep his girl.
I give this book three stars because its a good book. It doesn’t go over the top with detail and it it perfect for a high school student. I liked the book most when it was explaining the drama and telling us what was going on with each character. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes drama and want to read a good book. This book is truly a book that you won’t be-able to put down if you start it.

Written by Tenise  Class of 2009

Midnight

Midnight by Sister Souljah

This is my second time doing a book review. This time I am doing my review on the book Midnight; A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah. I’ve read her first book The Coldest Winter Ever, and that book was very good . This book was very interesting to me. It is about Midnight moving from Sudan to start over in the United States. He and his mom are moved into a ghetto neighborhood in Brooklyn in New York City . The way he live and they way they live is not the same so he’s trying to stick to his religion and his way of living in the conditions he’s under. During this time he falls in love with a Japanese girl name Akemi and he try’s to get her family approval for marriage.

Now I think that people set the expectations of this book to be like The Coldest Winter Ever; but even in that book it tells you that Midnight is not your average young adult.

I like this book because it shows a lot of self discipline and responsibility. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes to read urban stories and who needs to understand real responsibility, because if u don’t understand it fully then this book is what you need.

Review by Kanitra Class of

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Yet another book recommended to me by one of our kids, this time by a wonderful young woman who we had the pleasure of having as our proctor for the first semester this year. She was sure right about this being a great story!

When Miles decides to go to boarding school, he goes looking for the “Great Perhaps,” something more than his safe and friendless life at home. What he finds is a best friend in the Colonel (aka Chip) and his first love named Alaska. Alaska is exactly the type of girl to break your heart: moody, spontaneous, fun-loving, AND with a boyfriend. But she becomes one of Miles’ best friends, and they get into all kinds of trouble–smoking by the lake, getting drunk and pulling the wildest pranks the Culver Academy has ever seen. As Miles learns more about Alaska, he glimpses the sadness in her heart and sees your self-destructive acts for what they are.

What I especially liked about this book was how realistic the characters and their actions were. I could see them in my imagination, and became really sad when tragedy struck. I can’t wait to read another one of this writer’s books!

Street Pharm

Street Pharm by Allison van Diepen

One of our students recommended this book to me, and I have to admit that he was sure right about this author.  This is her first title, and you can tell she has a real feel for the urban jungle that many inner city teens face.  Ty Johnson is just 17, and is carrying on his father’s drug dealing business while he is in jail.  Ty is smart, but doesn’t do much in school besides make connections with his dealers and runners.  He does have rules he runs his life by:  never lose control; know your enemies; practice patience; and don’t have a girlfriend until age 21. The problems begin when he is kicked out of high school, sent to an alternative school, and begins to fall for a single mom named Alyse.  But she hates drugs and dealers, and has no idea what Ty does.  It’s OK, because he’s trying not to like her, but it’s hard.  On top of this, drama heats up with his business and his father.

This book kept my interest all the way through; I recommend it highly to readers who like urban lit, or who want to read about someone making the tough decisions.

Flyy Girl

Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree

The book I am doing my review for is Omar Tyree’s book called Flyy Girl.  The book is about a girl name Tracy Ellison who grows up pretty fast.  She’s young, has hazel eyes, is tall, and is basically a young fly girl.  She does everything she can to get next to the hottest boys of her time.  She gets them and dumps them like last year’s shoes. In a matter of time  she sees something that makes her want to slow her fast living life down a little. She changes her attitude and her way of living. But some things never change. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this book a 10 all the way.
This book shows how young girls are trying to live today, and what the outcome can possibly be. I would recommend this book to all of the young girls and all high school libraries, because there’s a girl like Tracy in every city.

Written by Kanitra Class of 2011

Candy

Candy by Kevin Brooks

I have to admit that this is one of those books that I loved the first part, but was disappointed with the second half. It’s the story of fifteen-year-old Joe’s infatuation with a pretty girl who turns out to be an addict and worse. He gets an immediate crush on her when she recognizes him in an unfamiliar London neighborhood, saying she has “the kind of smile that rips a hole in your heart.” Unfortunately for them, her pimp catches on to their new romance, and does what gangsters do to keep her away from him. The peek into the bleak, drug-filled world Candy lives in kept my interest going until the end.