Criminal Minded

January 1, 2006
Adult/High School -Lamin and Zion meet in church, where they've been dragged by their grandmother and foster mother, respectively. Their fast friendship grows even tighter after Lamin is put out of his home by his mother and her abusive boyfriend. He joins Zion in a crack-dealing scheme, and soon the teens are living large. Lamin finds romance with rich girl Lucky, and Zion secretly spends time with his friend's younger sister, Olivia. But after Lamin gets shot in a club, he realizes that it's time to get legit. While he is able to use his drug money to finance a career in music videos, his hustling life always threatens to catch up with him. Lamin, Zion, Lucky, Olivia, and Lamin's ex-con cousin take turns narrating the story, a tactic that makes an already fast-paced tale even more of a page-turner. Each character's perspective illuminates the misguided decisions the others make. However, despite their bad choices, readers will root for them. The language and situations are occasionally explicit, but also perfectly in character for these Staten Island young adults. While some of the story lines are pulled from a variety of rap videos and rapper bios, the plot also has unique twists that will keep readers going. Urban fiction is hotter than ever with teens of both sexes, and this is a strong entry in the genre." -Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2005
Lamin and Curtis are cousins and have been raised like brothers. When Curtis goes to jail for defending himself and killing a high-school bully, their lives are forever changed. Lamin starts spending Sundays with his grandfather and visiting Curtis. When a new guy shows up at church, Lamin finds a lifelong friend in Zion. Zion has passed through the foster care and prison system and has never really had family. So they become brothers and start a drug-trafficking enterprise that provides big money and a comfortable lifestyle. When Lamin gets shot, he decides to give up the life of a drug dealer and go legitimate. During his recuperation, he begins reading up on the one dream he has always had--to be a filmdirector.Zion is not ready to give up the hustler life but becomes Lamin's silent partner. When Curtis gets out of jail, he is jealous of Lamin's success and his friendship with Zion. Each of these men is forced to deal with his past and pay for his sins.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)