YA Underground came about after I wrote a piece about self-published memoirs. For many years I have been actively trying to find new books for my kids that accurately reflect their lives (and believe me, it’s not all about being poor and downtrodden—if there were an African American Harry Potter I’d be more than thrilled). I hoped having a column (and committee, more on that in a future column) would send books my way—new authors to bring to light—especially for our teens’ reading pleasure. Let’s be clear. It is still by chance that I come across the ones that I do. I’d say I’ve read five books to every one that I feel is even worth mentioning.*

Marilyn Jones’s book is worth mentioning.

Jones has written a passionate memoir about her experience as an abuse survivor, single mother, crack addict, and college student. Written with humor and insight, From Crack to College & Vice Versa is equally real and thoughtful. Jones grew up with her loving grandparents, where food and nurturing were abundant. It was the 1970s in San Francisco’s Fillmore district, steeped in a strong Black Panther presence, and among many businesses owned by Black people, which instilled in her a sense of self-pride and love. At age 9, she moved into her father’s house where she encountered a toxic mixture of mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Jones was introduced to crack cocaine in 1985 when she was 19 years old.

In a detailed account filled with important insight, Jones describes the life of a crack addict: exchanging  her body for drugs, in and out of juvenile hall, county jails, drug treatment, and losing her children. She writes, “When I first got locked up, I was very angry, (but ultimately) I gave up fighting the system and adjusted my ability to function and not be so angry was looked upon as progress by the juvenile facility’s staff, but all I did was learn how to be in jail.” Also important are her insights and writing about the college experience, and the inherent racism and classism she experienced from curriculum to people being scared of her impassioned discussion style.

Self-published, Jones did a good job with the cover From Crack to College. The type face and interior design is functional but not particularly pretty, and the book could definitely, no doubt about it, use an editor to clean up the misspellings and repetitions, and improve overall flow and narration. In spite of the flaws, Jones’s voice shines through.

I gave the book to Janelle (not her real name), a biracial 17-year-old. She likes to read Chicken Soup for the Soul and inspirational books, and reads when she is not in the facility. When I asked for her feedback on From Crack to College, she said, “Has it been edited? Some stuff you can tell it hasn’t, because she said it twice. This is a book that wants to tell her story. It’s important because if you on crack you think there is no turning back, but it’s a major turnaround because some people can’t even get off weed and go to college. It gives you hope and inspiration and makes you want to go for something.”

In this genre, A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown still stands out as the superstar of drug memoirs, particularly for teens of color, but of interest to all teens. African American Cupcake is thrust into the foster care system when her mother dies. Experiencing abuse, gangs, and drug addiction, she completely turns her life circumstances around and becomes a lawyer and an internationally bestselling author. Well-written, filled with a ton of action and valuable insight, the memoir details clearly the interesting steps Brown took to change—it’s off the charts!

I asked Janelle to talk with me about a few of the books she read on the topic of crack, and terrifically, she explains where From Crack to College is in the spectrum. “Come Back: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Hell and Back is a one—the book talked to me. Diary of a Crack Addict’s Wife is a two. The writing was more to tell the story with so much detail you can see it. It was kind of slow and I put it down a lot, because it was hard to find the action part. From Crack to College is a three. It was more like me writing a book and giving it to you. But it was real, talked like us, was shorter and easier to read. There was action.”  While clearly Janelle values a well written and edited story (as most everyone does), and clearly, race and class aren’t always of the utmost importance in relate-ability (Come Back is about a middle class white mother and daughter), there is enough of value in From Crack to College to pick up, read and easily finish the book.

I couldn’t find my one copy of From Crack to College for several weeks—girls were reading it. I tracked down Amanda, a 16-year-old African American girl who isn’t a big reader, and she had the book in her room. She sums it up perfectly—“The way she writes could be better but the overall story is good.”

Indeed, there is enough in From Crack to College that sets it apart from mainstream memoirs, making it a truly worthwhile read for anyone, including a population whose interests aren’t always reflected on our library shelves or served at the checkout desk. These teens need books that are really by, about, and for them.

Bottom line: this book belongs not only on inner city and urban library shelves; it belongs in libraries everywhere.

From Crack to College & Visa Versa is available on Amazon or direct from the author. I gave Jones the information on how to set up her book with Ingram, but she would only receive $1.10 per copy, so decided against it.

*In case anyone comes across the titleBitter Fruit: the Street Ministryand thinks it might have potential due to it’s provocative and street teen-pick-up immediately cover, two words: Nope. None.

Brittenum, DeVan Faye. Bitter Fruit: the Street Ministry. Brittenum. 2013. pap. $7.99. ISBN 9781482047462.

Brown, Cupcake. A Piece of Cake. Broadway Books. pap. $11.49. ISBN 9781400052295.

Fontaine, Claire and Mia. Come Back: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Hell and Back. William Morrow. pap. $15.95. 0060859718

Hunter, Cynthia. Diary of a Crack Addict’s Wife. Kensington. 2005. Tr $15.00. ISBN 0758208340

Jones, Marilyn Denise. From Crack to College & Vice Versa. Marilyn D. Jones. 2013. pap. $14.95.  ISBN 9780989427401.

How much do our expectations influence our reading? I picked up Allison van Diepen’s newest book Takedown and was expecting a lot. The first pages got me excited: Sick Puppy’s arrest is the beginning of the takedown. YA version of the Wire! But then I got bogged down. Darren’s motivation to play the super dangerous game of informing and risking his life while trying to get out of the game didn’t ring true. However, all the teens that I’ve given the book to have been satisfied and their expectations met.

The cover and trim size of Takedown is different from the author’s previous Street Pharm (2006) and Snitch (2007, both Simon Pulse) and doesn’t shelve well as a set—as a result I’ve had to call the teens’ attention to the author and content. The final cover isn’t out yet—the  two cover versions I’ve seen so far are both just okay. Maybe  the blue one is a little bit better? The nice interior has lots of white space, big enough type, cool font at the beginning of each chapter, and Darren’s rap lyrics in a different type sprinkled throughout.

We are extremely lucky to have some of the best writers for our teens as inner-city school teachers and/or social workers. Coe Booth, Alan Sitomer, and Alison van Diepen are my saviors. I couldn’t do my job without them. I asked Allison about Darren’s motivation, and she said this:

“Making a snitch the hero was a tough sell, especially since it wasn’t because of some dramatic incident, but instead because he’d woken up to the reality that he’d been used—that he’d been the scapegoat—and that he’d lost two years of freedom because of it. My students, both at the alternative school where I teach, and back in Brooklyn, hated snitches, but I’ve always wondered if they might feel differently if they saw the world through the eyes of a snitch.” That’s a worthy cause for writing motivation, and teens will enjoy the read regardless of our lofty hopes for them.

Along the lines of motivating factors, I laughed (silently) when speaker AR brought in a totally hot girl friend (formerly incarcerated, turned her life around) who mentioned Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret. I was flooded by boys requesting the book afterwards. Forget booktalks, just bring in a hot girl to wave a book in the air. Unfortunately, not a one could get into the book—their expectation was way different than the reality. James Allen’s bestseller As a Man Thinketh is a classic version of The Secret, and in many ways the old-school language may be a bit more accessible to teens than The Secret’s lofty new ageism.

Sun Tzu’s classic Art of War is one of my most requested books. One of my teens rattled off all the books that mention it, and I should have written them down, but I was scrambling to find copies to fill all the requests. Especially for reluctant readers, it’s great to have different versions of the same book in order to meet differing expectations. Here are the two other versions of the Art of War I offer besides the original:

Kelly Roman’s adult graphic novel version is amazing. Stark pages feature black and white art that pops with red highlights—thigh high boots, a tattoo, blood, a tie, the American flag—and Sun Tzu’s words in gritty bursts throughout.  A young man with a mohawk and genetic enhancements is released from military prison to face his demons: an ex-girlfriend he severely injured, the ghost of his murdered brother, a sick father, a world at war. Set in the future, the landscape is devastated, except where it’s been purchased—Manhattan has been bought by China. This is one of those “meta-books,” with more meaning and information unfolding with each read.

The Art of War: How to Be Successful in Any Competition isn’t as complex, classy, or gory as Roman’s version, but it’s more accessible and definitely more shelvable in a teen section, and a good choice for less-skilled readers. Tzu’s wisdom is revealed in full-color art in a variety of settings including a SWAT team, jail cell, old school gangsters, and a poker tournament.

The 50th Law by Robert Greene and 50 Cent is perfect for inner-city teens, or any reader looking for an edgy approach. The good cover image of 50 Cent does not carry through to the inside art, but the combination of story—from hustler to hip hop artist—and words of wisdom and keys to power packs a powerful punch.

Kwame Alexander’s He Said, She Said has the winning alternating girl/boy chapter format along with texts and Facebook posts. He also taught high school, so I had high expectations. Omar is the star quarterback and all around full of himself big man. Claudia is a brainy Beyonce look-alike who is done with playas—but can’t deny she feels a spark, especially after Omar surprises her and uses his fame to rally students in a silent protest to bring back the arts programming.  Sigh… Our gritty kids will probably find it too nerdy—in fact they rolled their eyes at me when I booktalked it—and none of them have picked it up. An author visit would rectify and stimulate interest. This isn’t to say that it’s not a great book for lots of teens.

Randy Kearse, after serving 13 years, 6 months and 2 days of a federal prison term, was highly motivated to change his life. In prison he researched and wrote Street Talk and began work on Changin’ Your Game Plan! How to Use Incarceration as a Stepping Stone for Success. Upon his release he applied his drug dealing skills to hustling his books, selling 35 or more a day for three years on streets and subways. Clearly a charismatic and engaging person, Kearse is definitely a speaker I’d bring in. It’s terrific when he gets specific about the steps he took to change, and there are definitely gems amidst all the repetitions, generalities, and preachiness. You will not hear my usual lament of too much of the dirt (which actually hooks the kids and gets them reading), and not enough of the transformation, as this barely skims the surface of what he was incarcerated for. It’s also surprisingly free of the religious factor except for a guest chapter. Teens aren’t going to be flocking to read it, but it’s a must-have for adult facilities and urban libraries, especially on the eastern seaboard, where the majority of his resource list is oriented.

ALEXANDER, Kwame. He Said, She Said. Harper Teen/Amistad. 2013. 336p. Tr $17.99. 9780062118967.

ALLEN, James. As a Man Thinketh. Tribeca Books. 2013. 62p. pap. $6.99. 9781612930220. (Note: I haven’t found the best version of this classic—still looking.)

BYRNE, Rhonda. The Secret. Atria. 2006. 198p. Tr $23.95. 9781582701707.

GREENE, Robert and 50 Cent.The 50th Law. illus. by Dave Crosland. G-Unit Book, Inc., Robert Greene and SmarterComics, LLC. 2012. 60p. $14.95. 978-1-6108-2006-6.

KEARSE, Randy. Changin’ Your Game Plan! How to Use Incarceration as a Stepping Stone for Success. 3rd ed. Positive Urban Literature, Inc. 2012. 248p. $14.99. 978-0-9800-9740-5.

KEARSE, Randy. Street Talk: Da Official Guide to  Hip-Hop & Urban Slanguage. Barricade Books. 2006. 700p. 978-1-5698-0320-2.

ROMAN, Kelly.The Art of War: A Graphic Novel. illus. by Michael DeWeese. Harper Perennial.  2012. 346p. $ 22.99 978-0-06-210394-9.

TZU, Sun. The Art of War: How to Be Successful in Any Competition. illus. by Shane Clester.  Reprint Edition. SmarterComics.  2012. 88p. $12.95. 978-1-6108-2008-0.

VAN DIEPEN,  Allison. Takedown. Simon Pulse. Sept. 2013. 288p. $16.99 978-1-4424-8690-4.

And if we are talking “underground” books, we have to mention Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy; it is the best book I’ve seen and read this year. The stark black cover with a bullet blazing through the title draws the reader into this clean, tightly written, and explosive story. Short sentences and realistic dialogue pack a punch and create a visceral and immediate understanding of the characters and their world.  Nikki—the daughter of a drug addict mother, with her stepdad in jail—is living at Bird’s. As much as Bird and her daughter Jamelee mean to Nikki, fellow teen Dee has her heart and soul. She finds purpose in being the one who understands him. He needs her to be there for him, and she is, until she puts everyone, including herself, in irreversible danger. One-, two-, and three-page chapters with nice sized type, filled with action and insight, make reading effortless. McVoy is able to distill the complex lives of at-risk girls in general, and in particular, addresses Nikki’s love/sex addiction and low self-esteem issues. This is a book teens won’t want to put down.

If it’s possible to have a best Bluford book (they are all good), Promises to Keep by Paul Langan might be it. No one likes Tyray Hobbs, including himself. He is a bully. Once outwardly respected, he recently lost his fear factor, and is now a complete outcast after a beat down in the school where he was ridiculed. Things are not good at home, with a strict father who lectures him and a brother in jail. On the streets, it’s not much better—Londell’s crew is stealing from him and threatening him. But he still has Lark. She’s not the cutest girl in the class, but she seems to like him, and even sticks up for him after everything he’s done. He feels guilty for how he lied to her and stole her money—can he make anything right? Langan has created a book from the bully’s perspective that is compassionate, insightful, and educational, along with being action-packed, realistic, and emotionally and psychologically accurate. There’s not a false note in the title.

April Henry has it down with her taut mysteries, and The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is as good as her other works. Suspense and tension build from the first page—in which men are taking Cady out to kill her—to the last, as she uncovers the secrets in this eco-thriller.

If I was a designer, I would have created a much better cover and interior for Chloe Shantz-Hilkes’ Hooked:  When Addiction Hits Home.  It has a challenging opening for reluctant readers—an introduction and foreword that don’t make for kid-friendly reading. Many won’t get through those first pages, or know that they can skip the opening materials (stick that stuff in the back, editors!). Still, this title won me over and is being quietly checked out.

Ten young people are profiled in the book, all of whom have parents dealing—or not dealing—with some form of addiction: alcohol, sex, work, crack, gambling, etc. Jermaine kicks his crack-addicted dad out of the house. Nicola’s brother becomes a drug addict like their dad. Carmella shares her mom’s struggle with bulimia, but is able to recover. Section titles like “My Reaction,” “Looking Back,” “How I Coped,” and “A Code of Silence” provide signposts of how the disease impacts these young people and their families. There are pull-out quotes that give a general overview of the issue, and help move readers along. It’s free from any dogma—no 12-step sayings like “Let Go and Let God.” The title is clearly focused on key events and the experience from these events. No overt mention of race or class makes this book a great equalizer for all teens dealing with addiction in their families.

Always looking for a rare find, I was hoping Clare Griffin’s Nowhere to Run might be it, in spite of the dull cover. Calvin is a track star, so when he goes to confront hustler Norris, he’s not afraid because he knows he can outrun him. He didn’t think about Norris having a baseball bat as well as his buddies with him, which seems improbable. Deej, Calvin’s best friend and Norris’ cousin, intervenes and Calvin gets a temporary pass. Life gets good. Calvin and Deej hang out, Calvin starts going out with a “hard to get” good girl, and he gets a job. But as Deej gets more deeply involved with Norris and his crew, Calvin struggles with issues of loyalty. He has some tough decisions: should he stand up for Deej like he stood up for him? Even when his friend is doing something illegal and it might jeopardize Calvin’s job?  Besides the slow moving plot with spurts of action, the book also suffers from too light type face and not enough gutter space. I wanted to like this book, I really did. It will be good for some kids—but Matt de la Peña’s titles would make for better reads.

B.A. Binns’ first book, Pull, was on the 2012 YALSA Quick Picks list. Westside Books has since gone out of business, and as a result, inner city school teacher and author Binns turned to self-publishing for Being God. Seventeen-year-old Malik is determined to be the worst of the worst. Biracial, he’s the son of a Catholic mother and Jewish father. Assigned to community service, he gets paired with an angry ten-year-old who hates the world. His crush, Barney, watched her father murder her mother. The story holds promise. However, the face on the book cover looks too young. The language and voice is inconsistent and the story is extremely slow going, very much in need of those editors at Westside.

Ed Hardy’s recounting of his life becoming an iconic tattoo artist in Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos is nicely designed—great art, lots of space, big type. The writing is totally scattered, but who cares? There’s a history of tattooing, lots of name dropping, travels throughout the underbellies of Japan and American cities, passion for art and individuality, entrepreneurship, and getting sober—there’s nothing too dicey and it will work in any teen section, even censored lockdowns.

Susan Nussbaum’s Good Kings, Bad Kings is getting great press and for good reasons. The book highlights, through multiple perspectives, the ups and downs, abuses, and kind moments between multicultural teens and staff at a home (institution/dumping ground) for physically and mentally disabled teens. It’s a fast and intense ride with characters that stay with you and make you wonder what they are doing long after you close the book. I wish the cover reflected the characters—maybe we’ll just have to wait until the movie (that should be made) comes out!

BINNS, B.A. Being God. All the Colors of Love. 2013. 222p. pap. $ 9.95. ISBN 9780988182110.

HARDY, Ed and Selvin, Joel. Wear Your Dreams: My Life In Tattoos. St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne. June 2013. 304p. Tr $26.99. ISBN 9781250008824.

HENRY, April. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. Holt. June 2013. 224p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780805095418.

GRIFFIN, Clare. Nowhere to Run. Namelos. 2013. 110p. pap. $9.95. ISBN 9781-608981458.

LANGAN, Paul. Promises to Keep. Townsend Pr. 2013. 151p. pap. $5.95. ISBN 9781591943037.

McVOY, Terra Elan. Criminal. S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. 288p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978144242622.

NUSSBAUM, Susan. Good Kings, Bad Kings. Algonquin Bks. 2013. 304p. Tr $23.95. ISBN 9781616202637.

SHANTZ- HILKES, Chloe. Hooked: When Addiction Hits Home. Annick Press. 2013. 120 p. pap. $12.95. ISBN 9781554514748.

Nationally, there are more than 700,000 teens in custody each night—teens who have been abused and neglected, teens who are entrepreneurs, teens who have experienced many major losses, teens with adult experiences and low reading levels. Due to the fact that minorities are disproportionately confined, too many of these teens are African American and Latino. Being underground, they’re the canaries in a coal mine, exposing what’s poisonous in the environment. There are many opportunities to reach these young adults both in and out of custody. My hope is that this column can bring to light new finds for these “urban” readers.

According to a December 2012 Anna E. Casey Foundation report, nearly 4.3 million young adults (ages 20 to 24) are unemployed and truant. That 4.3 million translates to a national 74 percent teen unemployment rate. With those statistics, it’s an understandable and even somewhat logical choice to turn to an underground economy. Kenny Johnson’s memoir, The Last Hustle, is unique in providing insight into the normality and reasoning that led to his choice of a life that was devoted to crime. The consequences? He spent over 20 years in city, state, county, and federal prisons. Booker T Huffman’s From Prison to Promise tells a more familiar story of a neglected child who turns to the successful role models he sees growing up: gangsters and drug dealers.

Most of my teens were initially victims, with their victimization not adequately addressed. Meg Medina’s fantastic Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass (slight quibble: the title should be Is Going to, not Wants to) deals with bullying and the way that teens facing difficult and challenging circumstances hold their fear and vulnerability underground. Check this out along with these other featured titles.

*The names of kids have been changed.

Takoudes, Greg. When We Wuz Famous. Henry Holt, March 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780805094527.

Gr 8 Up—The jury (my kids as well as myself) is still out on this title. It reminds me of Matt De La Pena’s pacing style—slow to start, yet ultimately an engaging read. In one of the first chapters, Francisco’s girlfriend, Reignbow (yeah, really), is talking openly to the police. From my experience, this is completely unrealistic and I’m not sure my kids will make it past this point. But by page 61, I was rapidly turning the pages as Francisco struggles with attending the white prep school on a basketball scholarship and feels torn by his loyalty to Reignbow and his messed-up foster kid brother who’s on the streets. Takoudes made a movie with teens from Spanish Harlem and the book is based on the film.

Huffman, Booker T with Andrew William Wright. Booker T: From Prison to Promise. Medallion Press. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 9781605424682.

Gr 8 Up—Booker T was one of eight children. His hardworking father died of a stroke when he was 10 months old, and his equally hardworking mother died of surgical complications when he was 13. Without her, the family fell into chaos, leaving Booker T and his youngest sister to fend for themselves. His mother’s house gradually decays around them as the electricity, water, garbage and other services are cut off, while his older siblings are living their lives to various dysfunctional degrees. Booker T then turns to the successful role models he sees around him: gangsters and drug dealers. In junior high, he becomes a father but doesn’t have the wherewithal to deal with it and blames his girlfriend and abandons his son, just as he was abandoned. Ending up in prison with a job in the laundry, he talks his way onto the weight-lifting team. Upon his release, he recognizes his responsibilities, gets his son out of foster care, and is on his way to becoming the six-time world wrestling champion and public figure he is today. It’s not action-packed, but rather a straight-forward, no-frills commentary.  Reluctant readers will find the trim size appealing and subject matter of interest, and other teens will pick it up for a quick read.

Johnson, Kenny with Shanti Einolander.The Last Hustle. Non-Duality Press. 2011. pap. $16.45. ISBN 9780956643285.

Gr 8 Up—Street lore says that a life of crime leads to only one of three places: death, prison, or going crazy in prison. There’s a fourth option that isn’t talked about much but experienced by some—a deep spiritual awakening leading to complete and total transformation. This isn’t a religious conversion, but an awakening to the true nature of life so that abiding peace is found even in the most challenging of circumstances. The latter was Kenny Johnson’s experience. He writes, “Prison was where I discovered my soul and so much more.” Throughout his life, he desired freedom. Ironically, prison offered him the challenges of confinement and pain as well as the time to read, study, and take classes. Teens who are looking for titles like Jarvis Masters’s Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row (Padma Publishing, 1977) will enjoy this book.

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Candlewick. March 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780763658595.

Gr 9 Up—There’s a lot packed into this vibrant small book which will make it a favorite for teens. When the stair to their tenement collapse, Piddy’s mom, an immigrant from Cuba, insists on moving.That means a new school.The trouble begins right away when Yaqui Delgado targets 16-year-old Piddy with threats. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, much less what she has done to instigate these threats. Living in fear, her grades suffer, and she finally figures out that to avoid trouble, it’s easier to skip school. Piddy is tough, and knows the rules of the streets, but she doesn’t want to fight. But that doesn’t work—Yaqui tracks her down and inflicts a brutal beating that’s posted on the Internet. Subplots include a boy with an abusive father, Piddy’s desire to work with animals—elephants, to be exact—a wonderful hair salon/aunt/neighbor contingent, and Piddy’s longing for information about her father whom she’s never met. Lots of action with a realistic setting, dialogue, relationships, problems, and solutions make this book a winner. The cover—a blue locker with graffiti for the title—will attract reluctant readers. The content will keep them reading to the end and wanting more, especially to hear Yaqui’s story.