by Sapphire
First published 2010
Buddy is fifteen and his world is crumbling. His father lies injured, maybe dying, and everything stable in his life threatens to disappear. Then he meets Angela, a girl whose own parents call her wild and dangerous. When Angela faces violence at home and Buddy's family situation collapses completely, the two teenagers make a desperate choice. They decide to create their own space in Brooklyn, away from the adults who have failed them. Together they discover an abandoned building where they can build something new. In this refuge, Buddy and Angela learn that their connection runs deeper than either expected. Their love becomes both shelter and strength as they navigate a world that seems determined to tear them apart. What begins as survival becomes something more powerful.
Genres: african-american, contemporary, adolescence, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate
Setting: Brooklyn
Period: 20th-century
102 pages · Kindle Edition · Feminist Press
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence