Anatomy of a Girl Gang

May 26, 2014
In Vancouver's rough Downtown Eastside, a group of underprivileged teenage girls seek security and protection. Little (The New Normal) alternates among their voicesâas well as that of the city itselfâin potent, vignette-like chapters, some of which are as short as a single sentence. Having quit the Vipers after realizing the gang "didn't give a solid fuck about us," intense 17-year-old Mac starts the Black Roses, an all-female gang of "bad bitches." She recruits Mercy, an orphan and dropout; Kayos, a sexual abuse victim whose anger smolders just below the surface; Sly Girl, an ex-addict from "the rez" with scars from being shot in the face; and Z, a Chinese graffiti artist. They sign on to share a home, steal, deal drugs, and abide by a shared code of conduct in hopes of keeping their pasts at bay and building a future. A romance between Mac and Z, a shooting, a fatal accident, and a robbery fuel jealousy and complicate their plans. While the demise of their operation is perhaps inevitable, the girls' journey is deeply felt and often shocking in its brutality. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from May 1, 2014
In a bleak tale, simply and eloquently told, five girls form a Vancouver street gang.Tired of turning tricks for the Vipers, teenage Mac decides to start the Black Roses and recruits her friend Mercy. Three more join them: Kayos, a rich girl famous in their elementary school for "[a]lways beating the shit out of people for no reason," Sly Girl, a 13-year-old who has been clean for six weeks but knows her way around the drug scene, and Z, a graffiti artist ostracized by her family as much for her sexual orientation as for preferring street art over a traditional career path. Together, the Black Roses become a family of sorts, looking out for each other as they sell drugs, steal cars, defend their territory and cover their mistakes. Brutal acts committed both against and by the gang are described in graphic sensory detail-most intensely in a scene in which the girls kidnap and torture two boys who have sexually assaulted one of their crew. Each girl narrates a share of the short chapters in her own distinct voice (Z's is especially idiosyncratic, a sort of Joycean textspeak), and a few chapters are told in the lyrical, evocative voice of Vancouver itself. The result is a tight, grim portrait with deep empathy for characters capable of horrific deeds.Both gripping and moving, for those who can stomach the violence. (Fiction. 15-18)

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June 1, 2014

Self-styled leader Mac. Sly Girl, off the rez. Kayos, pregnant at 13 and now as tough as they come. Wise little thief Mercy. And graffiti poet Z. They're the Black Roses, an all-girl gang in Vancouver, BC, who tell their stories in alternating voices. They sell drugs, they sell themselves, they stand by one another with a rose petal's tenderness. VERDICT Relentlessly gritty and in your face, this novel makes some urban lit look like just bling.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-After being forced to prostitute themselves for the benefit of their gang, Mercy and Mac free themselves to create The Black Roses, the most terrifying all-female gang Vancouver has ever seen. Told in the alternating perspectives of the five members, each teen describes the horrors in her life and explains her willingness to embrace this type of life. The characters unabashedly share their stories. When Mercy accidentally runs over a homeless man, her remorse for having killed him is overshadowed by the need to fence the stolen car and erase any evidence of her involvement. Yet within the crew, each girl experiences friendship, support, and even love-they are a family. When Sly Girl is beaten and raped during a crack deal, the gang closes ranks to protect her and exacts brutal revenge on the perpetrators. The novel ends, as many gang members do, in preventable pointless violence. The protagonists are authentically portrayed and the author uses gritty prose to depict their bleak and painful existence. The brutality is unsettling and realistic, and more suitable for mature teens. Overall the book is a compelling, seemingly accurate, and somewhat disturbing read.-Patricia Feriano, Our Lady of Mercy School, Potomac, MD

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.