Discovering Urban Fiction for

Middle School Students Compiled by:

K.C. Boyd, MLSArea Library Coordinator

Department of Libraries and Information ServicesChicago Public Schools

What are pre-teens reading?

What is Urban Fiction?

Urban Fiction is a popular yet controversial genre especially among young African-American and Hispanic patrons. The genre features characters living in large urban cities that are usually involved in drug dealing, gang violence, and/or prostitution.

http://www.libsuccess.org/Urban_Fiction/

What is Urban Fiction?

Urban Fiction is also identified as:

Urban LiteratureGangster LiteratureGhetto Literature

Hip Hop LiteratureStreet Fiction

Street Literature

What Are Some of the Characteristics of Urban Fiction

Characteristics of Urban Fiction

1. Often self-published or published by small, independent presses.

2. Generally published in a trade paperback format

3. Some are poorly edited and have weak storylines

4. Often not reviewed in mainstream publications

5. Some authors are or have served time in jail/prison

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Characteristics of Urban Fiction cont.

• The genre is made up of young, first-time African-American authors.

• Stories take place in large urban cities such as Richmond, VA, Chicago, IL, New York , Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey.

• Gritty and includes plenty of sex, drugs, and violence. Drug dealing, or “the game”, is a common theme.

• Written in the language of the streets, with plenty of slang and four-letter words.

http://teenlibrarian.com/

• Heavy references are made to designer clothing, jewelry and expensive cars.

• Female characters are often shallow and self-centered at the beginning, but learn valuable lessons through facing hardships.

• Characters may profit from drug dealing, enjoying their wealth, but eventually most pay the price. Many titles end in tragedy – violent deaths, prison.

• The cover art often feature photos of scantily clad women, men with guns, expensive cars, etc.

http://teenlibrarian.com/

Characteristics of Urban Fiction cont.

The Pioneers of Urban Fiction

Pioneers of Urban Fiction

Claude Brown1965

Pioneers of Urban Fiction

Robert “Iceberg Slim” BeckRobert “Iceberg Slim” Beck 1969 1969

Pioneers of Urban Fiction

Donald GoinesDonald Goines19711971

Why Is Urban FictionSo Popular?

• The stories reflect a world that many young readers can relate to.

• The stories give the reader an opportunity to escape their own difficult circumstance.

• The stories are fast paced filled with taboo subjects such as sex, drugs and violence.

Why Is Urban FictionSo Popular?

• Urban Fiction books are shared between family members.

• Some school districts have integrated books from the genre into the school curriculum.

Why Is Urban FictionSo Popular?

Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular?

Universal themes/messages from rap/hip-hop music are present.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI2eLGZaGNY

Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular?

Influence

of

Recording Artists

Tupac ShakurTupac Shakur19991999

Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular?

Influence

of

Recording Artists

AshantiAshanti20022002

Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular?

Influence

of

Recording Artists

Alicia KeysAlicia Keys20052005

Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular?

Influence of

Television

HBO’s The WireHBO’s The Wire2002-20082002-2008

What Are the Positive and Negative Characteristics of

Urban Fiction?

Positive

• The stories are ‘cautionary tales’ – the overall messages conveyed in these stories are positive.

• Gets an audience of reluctant readers excited about reading

• Encourages young people to become authors.

• Gives hope to young people who need help.

Negative• Reinforces stereotypes and encourages

irresponsible behavior.

• Promotion of sex, drugs and violence.

• Negative references to women.

• Heavily commercialized.

• Strong use of explicit language.

Popular Adult Urban Fiction Authors

The Top Three Male and Female Adult Urban Fiction Authors

http://www.omartyree.com/

http://us.macmillan.com/author/kwan

http://us.macmillan.com/author/shannonholmes

http://www.sistersouljah.com/

http://www.bookvideos.tv/videoid/1033

http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html

http://www.nikkiturner.com/

Popular Adult Urban Fiction Authors

Wahida ClarkKashamba WilliamsDeja KingOmar TyreeKeisha IrvingZaneRelentless AaronKiki SwinsonTeri WoodsLisa LennoxQuentin Carter

Treasure HernandezAshley JaQuavisTu-Shonda WhitakerAshley AntionetteSapphireDarrell DebrewJihadDeborah MayerVictor L. MarterLeo SullivanShavonn Moore

Critics of Urban Fiction

Dr. Gloria Wade GaylesIndependent Scholars ProgramSpelman College

Urban fiction threw out African American family values and rituals, and it makes older people in the community invisible.

There are exceptions, but most of this fiction is of the very brief now. It's not born to be read ten years from now. There are noJames Baldwins, no Ralph Ellisons, no Toni Morrisons, no Ernest Gaineses. What is this genre‘s value, other than to make money?

Meeting the Needsof Your Students

Make sure your school has a written selection and reconsideration policy that addresses written challenges to books. If you don’t, you’re totally vulnerable.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6632974.html

Chicago Public SchoolsCollection Development Policy for School Libraries

Librarians should make purchasing decisions based ontheir knowledge of the following: Students Communities Collection needs Other criteria set forth in the CPS Collection Development Policy

for School Librarians

A Dirty Little Secret: Self-CensorshipSelf-censorship is rampant and lethal

By Debra Lau WhelanSchool Library Journal, 2/1/2009

Street Fight: Welcome to the World of Urban LitTeens love it. Some librarians loathe it. Welcome to the world of urban lit.

By Amy PatteeSchool Library Journal, 7/1/2008

• Do our collections reflect the needs and tastes of the young people we serve? Or do they just reflect our own literary preferences?

• Are we willing to challenge ourselves professionally and to open up to new forms of literary expression? Or are we set in our ways?

• As librarians who are committed to serving teens, it’s essential to embrace urban street lit—even if its stories occasionally clash with our values.

Amy PatteeAssistant Professor Graduate School of Library ScienceSimmons College

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzaXRLWLTkI6:17- 8:53

Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell Director of the School Library Media Program University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice

by Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell

Takin’ it to the Street: Teens and Street LitBy Megan Honig

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), August, 2008

Six Steps to Meeting Urban Fiction Readers Needs

by Megan Honighttp://pdfs.voya.com/Vo/yaT/VoyaTakinItToTheStreets.pdf

1. Respect the genre2. Provide Satisfying Alternates3. Provide Access4. Collect Urban Fiction books5. Use Urban Fiction in Library Programs6. Broaden your collection

Popular Urban FictionNovels And Series

* Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

Anne Schraff and Paul Langan

The Bluford Series is a collection of 15 novels that The Bluford Series is a collection of 15 novels that focus on the lives of a group of high school students focus on the lives of a group of high school students and their families.and their families. Each novel addresses complex topics relevant to Each novel addresses complex topics relevant to the lives of today's students: family, friendship, trust, the lives of today's students: family, friendship, trust, violence, and peer pressure. violence, and peer pressure.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780439904872

* Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

Platinum Teens Series

Created by former Triple Crown Publications author, Kasamba Williams. This series is written by teens, marketed as teen friendly and comes with a discussion guide.

http://www.platinumteen.org/

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780972932523

http://www.eharlequin.com/

Monica McKayhan Earl Sewell

* 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift

* Appears on the 2009Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

* 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift

www.earlsewell.com

* Currently appears on the 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

www.earlsewell.com

* Appears on the 2009Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

* 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift

* Appeared on the 2008Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

* Appeared on the 2008Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

Urban Lit Books with an Edge

Drama High Series by L. Devine

Drama High is a series of books that focuses on the lives of teens struggling with peer pressure, acceptance and self-esteem.

http://www.dramahigh.com/index.htm

* Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List

Adult Books that Teens are Reading

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5FYahzVU44

Where can I find more information about

Urban Fiction novels?

Selection Tools

Book reviews from professional journals Booklist *School Library Journal Kirkus Reviews Horn Book Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books Voice of Youth Advocates

http://www.libraryjournal.co

Rollie WelchCollection Manager,

Cleveland Public Library

Vanessa J. MorrisAssistant Professor

Clarion Univ. of Pennsylvania

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/Word on Street Lit. #1-16

Selection ToolsUrban Fiction Book Reviews

1. American Library Association – YALSA Good Reads for Teenshttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/tenreading/recreading/recommendedreading.cfm2. Amy Pattee, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Sciencehttp://gslis.simmons.edu/blogs/yaorstfu3. Crazy Quiltshttp://http.campbele.wordpress.com/4. The Pinnaclehttp://urbanreviews.blogspot.com/5. RAWSISTAZ Reviewshttp://www.therawreviewers.com/index_sample.shtml6. School Library Journalhttp://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/7. Street Fictionhttp://www.streetfiction.org8. Teen Librarianhttp://www.teenlibrarian.com/streetlit/9. Teen Readshttp://teenreads.com/ 10. Teen Urban Fictionhttp://www.teenurbanfiction.com/

Urban Fiction Publishing CompaniesBlack Expressions – search under kidshttp://www.blackexpressions.com/ The Cartel Publishinghttp://thecartelpublications.com/Kessington Books – search under YAhttp://www.kensingtonbooks.com/Qboro Bookshttp://www.qborobooks.com/Terri Woods Publishinghttp://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.htmlTriple Crown Publicationshttp://www.triplecrownpublications.com/Urban Bookshttp://www.urbanbooks.net/ Urban Literaturehttp://www.urbanliterature.com/

Author WebsitesCoe Booth - http://www.coebooth.com/K’wan - http://www.kwanfoye.com/L. Devine - http://www.dramahigh.com/Sharon Draper - http://sharondraper.com/Sonia Hayes - http://soniahayes.com/home.php Shannon Holmes - http://us.macmillan.com/author/shannonholmesJanet McDonald - www.janetmcdonald.comDenene Millner - http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3747285Mitzi Miller - http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3747286Earl Sewell - http://www.earlsewell.com/Sister Souljah - http://sistersouljah.com/Nikki Turner - http://nikkiturner.com/ Omar Tyree - http://www.omartyree.com/Vickie Stringer - http://www.triplecrownpublications.com/Terri Woods - http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html

Urban Fiction Blogs and Wikispaces

Bluford Serieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bluford_Series

Crazy Quiltshttp://http.campbele.wordpress.com/

M. Doyle, MLK Middle School, San Francisco, Californiahttp://teenlibrarianblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/urban-fiction-for-teens.html

The Pinnaclehttp://urbanreviews.blogspot.com/

Urban Fiction Journal Articles

What teens are reading by Felicia Pride and Calvin Reidhttp://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6620241.html

“From the Street to the Libraries” by Anne Banardhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/nyregion/23fiction.html?

_r=1&pagewanted=all

“Inner City Teens Do Read” by Vanessa J. Morris, August, 2007http://www.jahreinaresearch.info/VJMWebsite/urbanfiction/Inner%20City%20Teens%20Do%20Read.rtf

“Is Urban Fiction Appropriate for African-American Teenagers” by LaQuisha Hallhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322469/is_urban_fiction_appropriate_foraafrican.html?cat=38

Urban Fiction Journal Articles

“The Real World” by Vanessa E. Joneshttp://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/11/03/the_real_world

“Street Fight: Welcome to the World of Urban Literature” by Amy Patteehttp://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6573998.html

“Takin it to the Street: Teens and Street Lit” by Meagan Honighttp://pdfs.voya.com/Vo/yaT/VoyaTakinItToTheStreets.pdf

The Real World by Vanessa J. Morrishttp://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/11/03/the_real_world/

Online Hip-Hop Dictionaries

Hip Hop Galaxy Dictionaryhttp://www.hiphopgalaxy.com/

Rap Dictionaryhttp://www.rapdict.org/Main_Page

Urban Slang Dictionarywww.urbandictionary.com

Urban Slang Dictionary - www.urbandictionary.com

K.C. Boyd, Area Library Coordinator Department of Libraries and Information Services

Chicago Public Schools Facebook: K.c. Boyd