Urban Literature WeekUrban Literature Week

Western High School LibraryWestern High School Library

February 1-5February 1-5

20102010

The Urban Literature GenreThe Urban Literature Genre

Also called “Street Lit”Also called “Street Lit”Usually set in a large cityUsually set in a large cityCharacters are usually African Characters are usually African

AmericanAmericanOften focuses on darker themes such Often focuses on darker themes such

as gangs, violence, drugs, teen as gangs, violence, drugs, teen pregnancy, and abusepregnancy, and abuse

Genre made popular by Authors such Genre made popular by Authors such as Omar Tyree and Nikki Grimesas Omar Tyree and Nikki Grimes

As fifteen-year-old As fifteen-year-old Pemba adjusts to Pemba adjusts to

leaving her leaving her Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, New York, home for small-town home for small-town

Connecticut, a Connecticut, a history researcher history researcher

helps her helps her understand the understand the

paranormal paranormal experiences drawing experiences drawing her into the life of a her into the life of a girl who was once a girl who was once a slave in her house. slave in her house.

China Cup China Cup Cameron, a Cameron, a fourteen-year-old fourteen-year-old single mother with single mother with only her paralyzed only her paralyzed Uncle Simon for Uncle Simon for support, takes on support, takes on tremendous tremendous personal debt in personal debt in hopes of a hopes of a beautiful funeral beautiful funeral after her daughter after her daughter dies.dies.

High schooler High schooler Kendra longs to Kendra longs to live with her live with her mother who, mother who, unprepared for unprepared for motherhood at motherhood at age fourteen, age fourteen, left Kendra in left Kendra in the care of her the care of her grandmother. grandmother.

New York City New York City breakdancer breakdancer Nicole falls in Nicole falls in love with Zin, a love with Zin, a fellow dancer, fellow dancer, but an ancient but an ancient secret forces Zin secret forces Zin to keep his to keep his distance from distance from Nicole, despite Nicole, despite his growing his growing feelings for her.feelings for her.

Kate, a fourteen-Kate, a fourteen-year-old Brooklyn year-old Brooklyn girl and former girl and former gang member, gang member, risks losing her first risks losing her first good foster family good foster family when she adopts when she adopts the risque ways of the risque ways of her flirtatious new her flirtatious new friend, Naleejah. friend, Naleejah.

From a From a traditional traditional Latino family, Latino family, Sonja vows Sonja vows that she will that she will be the first girl be the first girl in her family in her family to graduate to graduate high school.high school.

After winning a After winning a basketball reporting basketball reporting contest, eighth contest, eighth graders Stevie and graders Stevie and Susan Carol are Susan Carol are sent to cover the sent to cover the Final Four Final Four tournament, where tournament, where they discover that a they discover that a talented player is talented player is being blackmailed being blackmailed into throwing the into throwing the final game. final game.

As Kofi, Arielle, As Kofi, Arielle, Dana, November, Dana, November, and Jericho face and Jericho face personal personal challenges during challenges during their last year of their last year of high school, a high school, a misunderstood misunderstood student brings a student brings a gun to class and gun to class and demands to be demands to be taken seriously.taken seriously.

Fifteen-year-old Fifteen-year-old Gia decides her Gia decides her natural beauty and natural beauty and talent are not talent are not enough to make her enough to make her sophomore dreams sophomore dreams come true, but after come true, but after a makeover, date a makeover, date with a football with a football player, and a spot player, and a spot on the Hi-Steppers on the Hi-Steppers dance squad dance squad disappoint, Gia disappoint, Gia realizes a new truth realizes a new truth about happiness. about happiness.

Seeing no way out Seeing no way out of his difficult life in of his difficult life in Harlem, seventeen-Harlem, seventeen-year-old-Jeremy “Lil year-old-Jeremy “Lil J” Dance flees into J” Dance flees into a house after a a house after a drug deal goes drug deal goes awry and meets a awry and meets a strange man who strange man who shows him different shows him different turning points in turning points in his life where he his life where he could have made could have made better choices.better choices.

Seventeen-year-Seventeen-year-old Antonio and old Antonio and his sixteen-year-his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, old girlfriend, Natasha, find Natasha, find their love tested their love tested when Antonio is when Antonio is wrongfully wrongfully imprisoned for a imprisoned for a crime he didn't crime he didn't commit. commit.

In the Florida In the Florida projects, sixteen-projects, sixteen-year-old Jayson year-old Jayson struggles with the struggles with the harsh realities of his harsh realities of his life which include an life which include an abusive mother, a abusive mother, a drug-addicted father, drug-addicted father, and not fitting in at and not fitting in at his predominately his predominately white school, and white school, and bring him to the bring him to the brink of suicide. brink of suicide.

Thirteen-year-old Thirteen-year-old Shayla is upset Shayla is upset when her when her estranged father's estranged father's new baby is born new baby is born on her birthday, on her birthday, but she learns that but she learns that her problems are her problems are nothing compared nothing compared to those faced by to those faced by her friends Kambia her friends Kambia and Lemm. and Lemm.

Sheree, tough Sheree, tough from growing from growing up without a up without a father, finds father, finds herself at a herself at a loss to help loss to help herself when herself when she falls into she falls into the same trap the same trap as her mother. as her mother.

A collection A collection of short of short stories about stories about murder, murder, violence, and violence, and teenagers on teenagers on death rowdeath row

The author The author recounts his recounts his growing up in growing up in poverty in Los poverty in Los Angeles, his Angeles, his encounters with encounters with racism in school racism in school and on the and on the streets, and his streets, and his struggle to struggle to overcome overcome prejudice, drugs, prejudice, drugs, and violence. and violence.

A personal A personal account of account of inner-city inner-city violence violence and its and its effect on effect on children.children.

Growing up in Growing up in the inner-city the inner-city projects, projects, DeShawn is DeShawn is reluctantly reluctantly forced into the forced into the gang world by gang world by circumstances circumstances beyond his beyond his control. control.

Sophomore Frankie Sophomore Frankie finally finds the finally finds the courage to ask his courage to ask his long-term friend, long-term friend, Julianne, to the Julianne, to the Homecoming dance, Homecoming dance, which ultimately which ultimately leads to a face-off leads to a face-off between a tough between a tough senior whose family senior whose family owns most of their owns most of their small, New Mexico small, New Mexico town, and Frankie's town, and Frankie's soccer-star older soccer-star older brother and his brother and his gang-member gang-member friends. friends.

After Midnight's After Midnight's father's empire is father's empire is attacked, he is sent attacked, he is sent with his mother to with his mother to live in the United live in the United States, but on the States, but on the streets of Brooklyn, streets of Brooklyn, Midnight remains true Midnight remains true to his beliefs while to his beliefs while attempting to reclaim attempting to reclaim his former wealth and his former wealth and protect his family, protect his family, while attracting the while attracting the lustful attention of a lustful attention of a number of women. number of women.

Traces the history Traces the history of hip-hop's of hip-hop's relationship with relationship with flashy jewelry, flashy jewelry, presenting presenting interviews with Run interviews with Run of Run-D.M.C., Slick of Run-D.M.C., Slick Rick, Chuck D, Salt Rick, Chuck D, Salt of Salt-N-Pepa, 50 of Salt-N-Pepa, 50 Cent, and other Cent, and other performers as well performers as well as jewelers-to-the-as jewelers-to-the-stars Jacob Arabo stars Jacob Arabo and Tito. and Tito.

"Don't be skerd." Youme describes her "Don't be skerd." Youme describes her unique collaboration with artist Anthony unique collaboration with artist Anthony Horton, which began as the two traveled Horton, which began as the two traveled together on the New York subway system. together on the New York subway system.

Percy Carey uses a Percy Carey uses a graphic novel format graphic novel format to chronicle his rise to chronicle his rise and fall in the hip-and fall in the hip-hop industry, hop industry, discussing his first discussing his first experiences with experiences with music, the gang music, the gang violence that put violence that put him in a wheelchair, him in a wheelchair, his life in prison, his his life in prison, his self-reinvention, and self-reinvention, and his impressions of his impressions of the music industry. the music industry.

Jazz vocalist Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday Billie Holiday looks back looks back on her early on her early years in this years in this fictional fictional memoir memoir written in written in verse. verse.

Presents over forty Presents over forty poems of slam, hip-poems of slam, hip-hop, Taos, Nuyorican, hop, Taos, Nuyorican, performance art, and performance art, and other contemporary other contemporary styles, featuring such styles, featuring such authors as Sherman authors as Sherman Alexie, Edward Hirsch, Alexie, Edward Hirsch, Viggo Mortensen, and Viggo Mortensen, and Patricia Smith. Patricia Smith.

Includes A Includes A narrative of the life narrative of the life and adventures of and adventures of Venture, a native of Venture, a native of Africa. A collection Africa. A collection of poems by Marilyn of poems by Marilyn Nelson, Nelson, accompanied by accompanied by prose by African prose by African slave Venture Smith slave Venture Smith and watercolor and watercolor paintings by paintings by Deborah Dancy. Deborah Dancy.