I picked this book out mainly because I was widely impressed with Todd Strasser's work in Wish You Were Dead. This is a great piece of realistic fiction because it deals with problems currently in this world, gangs.
In this book, a boy tries to grow up in the Fredrick Douglas Project. His friends have all joined gangs. They can afford things like flat-screen t.v.'s and new sneakers, while DeShawn and his family barely have any food on the table. Will DeShawn continue going to school like he thinks he should, or will he give in to peer pressure and join a gang? Find out in this book by Todd Strasser.
This book is great. I highly recommend this book to teens that live in an area similar to where Deshawn lives. I recommend this book to young adults, people who like realistic-fiction, and/or people who like fiction in general.