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.