If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

In the Frederick Douglass Project where DeShawn has grown up, life is ruled by the gangs, drugs, and poverty. DeShawn is smart and struggles to avoid the lifestyle that claims his friends one by one. It isn’t until DeShawn sees his sister drinking her babies formula because she is so hungry that he sees no other option and enlists in the Douglass Disciples, quickly moving up the ranks in the gang.

Strasser has created a fast-paced look at life in a street gang. Unfortunately, what could be an engaging and appealing tale is marred by its heavy-handed delivery. Strasser beats readers over the head with his message. The narration also reads from the perspective of a middle-aged suburban white man, not a young black man from the inner city.