First published 1998
These young voices refuse to disappear. Black and biracial teenagers navigate poverty and fractured homes while society pushes them toward invisibility. They move through dangerous streets with sharp intelligence, seeking connection wherever they can grasp it. Some come from single-parent households where money runs short and hope feels scarce. Others bounce between relatives or foster situations that offer little stability. The world wants to write them off as statistics, but they push back with fierce determination. Their stories pulse with raw passion as they forge relationships that might save them. Each character searches for someone who will see them as more than their circumstances. They speak in voices that cut through pretense, revealing truths about survival and resilience. Love appears in unexpected places, sometimes between friends who become family, sometimes in fleeting moments of understanding. The collection captures young people who refuse erasure, who insist on their right to exist and dream despite everything working against them.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, african-american, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, raw
163 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books