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The Last Street Novel
Omar Tyree does it again!
The Philadelphia-born author, who jumpstarted the urban fiction craze more than a dozen years ago with Flyy Girl, presents the riveting new tale of Shareef Crawford, a celebrated writer of romantic fiction, who leaves his sunny mansion in South Florida and returns to his Harlem roots to pen a true crime book that may just end his life.
Craving more respect for his craft as a writer, particularly from his peer group of urban men, Shareef allows an enticing female fan to pitch him a no-holds-barred tell-all about an imprisoned Harlem gangster who admires Shareef’s writing. With insane courage and an iron will, Shareef, the street-smart intellectual, finally gets a chance to write something more edgy and noteworthy.
However, the Harlem streets he returns to in 2006 have changed, and the stakes of survival are higher now than they’ve ever been. Amid the rise of high-priced condominiums, a changing population, young criminals gunning to make names for themselves, and old criminals fighting to become legitimate businessmen, Shareef finds himself caught in a real-life thriller where past foes become friends, and trusted friends become dangerous foes. Nevertheless, the Harlem legend is hell-bent to do anything he can to gain the respect on the streets that his career as a writer of women’s fiction has failed to give him.
The Last Street Novel is another urban classic as only Tyree, the self-proclaimed Urban Griot, can write them!
The Philadelphia-born author, who jumpstarted the urban fiction craze more than a dozen years ago with Flyy Girl, presents the riveting new tale of Shareef Crawford, a celebrated writer of romantic fiction, who leaves his sunny mansion in South Florida and returns to his Harlem roots to pen a true crime book that may just end his life.
Craving more respect for his craft as a writer, particularly from his peer group of urban men, Shareef allows an enticing female fan to pitch him a no-holds-barred tell-all about an imprisoned Harlem gangster who admires Shareef’s writing. With insane courage and an iron will, Shareef, the street-smart intellectual, finally gets a chance to write something more edgy and noteworthy.
However, the Harlem streets he returns to in 2006 have changed, and the stakes of survival are higher now than they’ve ever been. Amid the rise of high-priced condominiums, a changing population, young criminals gunning to make names for themselves, and old criminals fighting to become legitimate businessmen, Shareef finds himself caught in a real-life thriller where past foes become friends, and trusted friends become dangerous foes. Nevertheless, the Harlem legend is hell-bent to do anything he can to gain the respect on the streets that his career as a writer of women’s fiction has failed to give him.
The Last Street Novel is another urban classic as only Tyree, the self-proclaimed Urban Griot, can write them!
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2007
15 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Omar Tyree
106 books933 followersOmar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has published 16 books and has sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide that has generated more than $30 million.
With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renowned contemporary writers in the literary community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of feature films, business lectures, and children’s books, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations.
Tyree is a popular speaker on the university and corporate circuits. In his “Equation for Life” lecture, Tyree weaves together a full-proof formula for attaining lifelong success in business, as well as everyday living. Ideal for innovation, corporate sales and marketing teams, one attendee who heard the lecture commented, “Omar Tyree’s Equation for Life speech made me rethink my whole life - it has given me the focus I need.” The success of the speeches over the last 11 years landed Tyree his first nonfiction book deal with John Wiley, the number 1 business publisher in the world. The Equation: Applying the 4 Indisputable Components of Business Success, is being released in early January 2009.
As an author, journalist, performance poet, songwriter, screenwriter,entrepreneur, innovator of various creations, and an energetic and fiery speaker, Tyree is no stranger to the world of contemporary urban influence. Tyree became one of the dominant literary promoters of the 1990s, leading to offers of publishing deals by a number of influential mainstream book publishers. In 1995, he signed a lucrative two-book arrangement with publishing powerhouse Simon & S chuster. A few years later, Tyree signed an undisclosed long-term contract that established him amongst Simon & Schuster’s top authors.
His journey as an entrepreneur began in his early 20s when he started the book publishing company Mar Productions, to release his earliest works of fiction. Tyree’s entrepreneurial ventures have evolved to include the Urban Literacy Project as a nonprofit organization to inspire reading, writing, thinking,visualization, application and financial literacy skills among disadvantaged youth and adults. He has also formed Renaissance Entertainment Group, a partnership with self-made multimillionaire Arthur Wylie, to produce Tyree’s body of fiction novels into feature films.
Tyree’s articles have been published in the Washington Post, Essence, Upscale, Ebony, TheDailyVoice.com and several other publications
With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renowned contemporary writers in the literary community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of feature films, business lectures, and children’s books, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations.
Tyree is a popular speaker on the university and corporate circuits. In his “Equation for Life” lecture, Tyree weaves together a full-proof formula for attaining lifelong success in business, as well as everyday living. Ideal for innovation, corporate sales and marketing teams, one attendee who heard the lecture commented, “Omar Tyree’s Equation for Life speech made me rethink my whole life - it has given me the focus I need.” The success of the speeches over the last 11 years landed Tyree his first nonfiction book deal with John Wiley, the number 1 business publisher in the world. The Equation: Applying the 4 Indisputable Components of Business Success, is being released in early January 2009.
As an author, journalist, performance poet, songwriter, screenwriter,entrepreneur, innovator of various creations, and an energetic and fiery speaker, Tyree is no stranger to the world of contemporary urban influence. Tyree became one of the dominant literary promoters of the 1990s, leading to offers of publishing deals by a number of influential mainstream book publishers. In 1995, he signed a lucrative two-book arrangement with publishing powerhouse Simon & S chuster. A few years later, Tyree signed an undisclosed long-term contract that established him amongst Simon & Schuster’s top authors.
His journey as an entrepreneur began in his early 20s when he started the book publishing company Mar Productions, to release his earliest works of fiction. Tyree’s entrepreneurial ventures have evolved to include the Urban Literacy Project as a nonprofit organization to inspire reading, writing, thinking,visualization, application and financial literacy skills among disadvantaged youth and adults. He has also formed Renaissance Entertainment Group, a partnership with self-made multimillionaire Arthur Wylie, to produce Tyree’s body of fiction novels into feature films.
Tyree’s articles have been published in the Washington Post, Essence, Upscale, Ebony, TheDailyVoice.com and several other publications
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 21, 2018
This read is cool. I’ve been pondering over my true thoughts about this read, it’s author as well. Well, Tyree has always seemed arrogant and it leaks thru this read loud and clear. Good writer he is, but he Always lose Mi somewhere along the line. I kinda understood the method to his madness, yet I also felt he is a bit condescending, and again this leaks thru his writing. He was so busy trying to Low-Key express his inner thoughts about Black Ppl, readers, literature, and the academics of black thought that his story fell flat. I’m being generous with these stars because I did get it, But yes I too want to be entertained. Whenever I want some real food for thought there is always the Harlem Renaissance when any or all else fells. But I too can go to Walter Mosley for entertaining literature(fiction) while it also serves as real food for thought. If Tyree thinks his readers are only looking to be entertained then he should try doing that. Now if he wants to give food for thought while entertaining he should work harder at his craft, rather than blame US for not being entertained. Just sayin🤭
September 12, 2018
The book was different from the rest of the books that I've previously read by Omar Tyree but it was ok. My personal views about the relationship of the Shareef and his wife kind of clouded my judgement about the outcome of that plot. I like the street action and Shareef's infidelities and wished he focused more on that angle. But the book was entertaining and I would recommend that you read the book for yourself to form an opinion.
September 30, 2011
So had this book for a while, even checked out for a friend of mine but never got around to reading it..To be honest the first chapter really didnt grab me as it starts off in a warehouse with some thugs torturing and killing a man..You find out later who, what and why but it wasnt the best intro..I would have preferred Omar Tyree just start the book by introducing one of the most interesting male characters in a hood novel ever--the main character of the book, best-selling romance author Shareef Crawford. The book is all about him and his endeavors in writing a new novel departing from his other highly succcessful novels geared to women. He gets an inspiration from a groupie he meets in a bookstore to write a street novel about an incarcerated dude that she says has a story to tell. So as Shareef contemplates writing this new street literature masterpiece his friends and some new enemies have their own plans to try and stop him. So that's the meat and potatoes of the book and really not the most interesting part..honestly I enjoyed reading more about the rocky estranged relationship between Shareef and his wife and two children. I loved their dynamic as they muddle through their relationship problems of Shareef's voracious sexual appetite which he doesnt feel his wife fulfills anymore and then Jennifer the wife's point of view on how hard it is to be a sexual person when she is a mother and career woman. I thought the therapy session and all their conversations alone were enough for me to finish the book. As people strive to stop Shareef from writing the book he meets new friends, finds out old ones are phony and gets involved in a shoot out or two. Overall I have to say that like the main character Shareef I think this author's strong point is relationships..He makes you see things from both sides and halfway understand a cheating man's point of view. I would recommend this book but only for the side relationship study he gives so vividly. Liked it didnt love it but will definitely read more from Tyree, I like everyone else LOVED Fly Girl so we'll see what's next...
January 10, 2009
Listening to this on audio (ipod) from the library.
It started out real slow, but when I got to the part of the book where he is talking to one of the women he slept with after a book signing in Harlem...she was trying to convince Shareef Crawford to write a novel about a hood thug in jail. I like how he uses the contrast of hip hop music (only people can handle the club songs and not the revoluntary, historical stuff) and as a novelist (only focus on what is entertaining and sales, not the surreal stories to have people thinking). This was some deep perspectives of the story! I needed to hear this as a writer, wondering why my books are not saling yet....I am writing more on some revoluntary or spiritual sense...and maybe they want to hear this booty-shaking crap only!
Some good points on sex too, using metaphors and analogies, with comparison to Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie...weird, but interesting how he explained it by using these characters as an example.
In a nutshell, it is about an African American writer/author, Shareef Crawford journeys home to Harlem, where a search for literary inspiration leaves him in the crossfire of a world of thugs and their deadly turf battles.
It started out real slow, but when I got to the part of the book where he is talking to one of the women he slept with after a book signing in Harlem...she was trying to convince Shareef Crawford to write a novel about a hood thug in jail. I like how he uses the contrast of hip hop music (only people can handle the club songs and not the revoluntary, historical stuff) and as a novelist (only focus on what is entertaining and sales, not the surreal stories to have people thinking). This was some deep perspectives of the story! I needed to hear this as a writer, wondering why my books are not saling yet....I am writing more on some revoluntary or spiritual sense...and maybe they want to hear this booty-shaking crap only!
Some good points on sex too, using metaphors and analogies, with comparison to Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie...weird, but interesting how he explained it by using these characters as an example.
In a nutshell, it is about an African American writer/author, Shareef Crawford journeys home to Harlem, where a search for literary inspiration leaves him in the crossfire of a world of thugs and their deadly turf battles.
November 26, 2008
THIS BOOK TOOK ME BY SURPRISE> THE FIRST CHAPTER I HAD TO PUT IT DOWN> I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ANOTHER GANGSTA STREET VIOLENCE NOVEL> and when i received the same book a few months later as a gift from my book club, i decided maybe i should read it a little further.
Im glad i did!
Drama, intensity, on the edge of my seat, yelling at a book good.
So much about this story had me going. From why he would go to jail to meet with someone about a future book with so much little back ground was amazing. Then wen the tables turned and the streets he called home turned on him for what he MIGHT be writting, he stood his ground, not to make a stand but due to male ego it seemed i was screaming OMG!!!.
Gun fights, betrayal, unlikely alliances, this book had it all!
Im glad i did!
Drama, intensity, on the edge of my seat, yelling at a book good.
So much about this story had me going. From why he would go to jail to meet with someone about a future book with so much little back ground was amazing. Then wen the tables turned and the streets he called home turned on him for what he MIGHT be writting, he stood his ground, not to make a stand but due to male ego it seemed i was screaming OMG!!!.
Gun fights, betrayal, unlikely alliances, this book had it all!
February 18, 2016
Ok. It kept my interest so it was pretty good, I guess. I don't know if I would have liked it as much if I was reading it and not listening to the audio version. The narrator was really good. I used to really like Omar Tyree, but I think I have outgrown him.
May 13, 2020
Pretty dry book. Detail is good but sometimes too over the top. It doesn't get interesting until the end of the book. The author def builds the suspense throughout the book but I mean come on. At some point give it a rest. (rolls eyes)
August 12, 2012
Omar Tyree needs to work on his craft his books have no plots, twist his stories borning I am longer gonna read his books
August 6, 2020
This one straddles the line somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.
I havent read anything from Omar Tyree since I read Flyy Girl in middle school, so I was looking forward to grabbing a book by him.
I think next time I'll just re-read Flyy Girl (I'm in my 30s now) and grab all my urban fiction reads from women authors.
I only briefly liked Shareef Crawford, and that was in the first few pages before I learned that he had a whole wife back home and was openly flirting with the attractive female news anchor who was interviewing him on live tv about his book. Gross. We learn that they are actively going to counseling, but he still openly cheats on her (and has a kept mistress on the side, in addition to the women he meets in different cities) and basically thinks it's her fault because she won't have sex with him; and he feels he has been duped because they had sex in the beginning and things changed after 10 years of marriage and life happening and children, etc. And her argument? Well OF COURSE she doesn't want to have sex with her husband while he is openly disrespecting her and their marriage, and could possibly bring home STDs from these random women he has no shame in hooking up with. But she's the irrational one? Riiiiight.
And then he proceeds to make a lot of stupid, stupid decisions because of his inflamed male ego (he can do anything, and no one can punk him, because he's from Harlem!) that leads to him endangering the lives of multiple people, some of whom were actual current residents of Harlem telling him that *they* wouldn't even mess around with the things he's messing around with. But, that toxic masculinity will get you every time, I suppose.
The climax came, and I think Tyree took entirely too long to wrap up the book after that. And Polo, Shareef's best friend, gave him the most ass-kissy "you're so great and don't ever change" speech at the end.
Bottom line: I kind of wished that Shareef had been a casualty when the climax hit.
Side note: the editing was not done well in this book. I came across multiple instances of incorrect word usage that should have been caught long before publishing (i.e. your vs you're, worse vs worst, too vs two, to name a few).
I havent read anything from Omar Tyree since I read Flyy Girl in middle school, so I was looking forward to grabbing a book by him.
I think next time I'll just re-read Flyy Girl (I'm in my 30s now) and grab all my urban fiction reads from women authors.
I only briefly liked Shareef Crawford, and that was in the first few pages before I learned that he had a whole wife back home and was openly flirting with the attractive female news anchor who was interviewing him on live tv about his book. Gross. We learn that they are actively going to counseling, but he still openly cheats on her (and has a kept mistress on the side, in addition to the women he meets in different cities) and basically thinks it's her fault because she won't have sex with him; and he feels he has been duped because they had sex in the beginning and things changed after 10 years of marriage and life happening and children, etc. And her argument? Well OF COURSE she doesn't want to have sex with her husband while he is openly disrespecting her and their marriage, and could possibly bring home STDs from these random women he has no shame in hooking up with. But she's the irrational one? Riiiiight.
And then he proceeds to make a lot of stupid, stupid decisions because of his inflamed male ego (he can do anything, and no one can punk him, because he's from Harlem!) that leads to him endangering the lives of multiple people, some of whom were actual current residents of Harlem telling him that *they* wouldn't even mess around with the things he's messing around with. But, that toxic masculinity will get you every time, I suppose.
The climax came, and I think Tyree took entirely too long to wrap up the book after that. And Polo, Shareef's best friend, gave him the most ass-kissy "you're so great and don't ever change" speech at the end.
Bottom line: I kind of wished that Shareef had been a casualty when the climax hit.
Side note: the editing was not done well in this book. I came across multiple instances of incorrect word usage that should have been caught long before publishing (i.e. your vs you're, worse vs worst, too vs two, to name a few).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2020
This was a street novel, which is unlike the stuff I usually read. I experimented by listening to it exclusively while I exercised. It was an easy listen with enough plots to keep my attention. It looks like its set up to be a continuation. The storyline does make you ponder things like, how much are you willing to sacrifice for success & fame, can sex stay alive in a marriage after children? How do man & wife negotiate or renegotiate their relationship as they grow, change & mature as individuals? After leaving home & achieving success, can you go back home & understand what's going on? How much are you willing to sacrifice for your friends? Will Black Harlem survive gentrification?
October 12, 2023
Ummm this REEKS of misogyny. The writing is terribly cringe and the characters just further support the stereotypes that the narrative is trying to reject lol. Should have left this one on the shelf /:
September 20, 2017
meh. decent plot but poor writing style
August 7, 2018
I love Omar Tyree. This book really gives you an inside view of the gang life. It is set in Harlem and after reading this I wonder if there is anyone who you can truly trust? A good read.
April 11, 2020
Abandoned
Read
March 2, 2016When I read this book last year, I didn't like it. I got a chance to meet Omar Tyree and he talked about how his life has changed since Flyy Girl and that he wants to change his writing style (to be more mainstream). I understand the book more now that he has said that, but it's still not one of my favorites from him.
August 16, 2013
I had purchased this book quite some time ago and had not read it because it seemed that Omar had changed up the entire demeanor of his books. Whereas I like the 'real deal' urban books.....it just seems that his has taken a turn away from where he began. Either way, overall the book was good once you got past the slow start and could begin to relate to the characters.
July 30, 2008
Suprisingly good. Omar took a different lane with his writing & I wasn't disappointed.
January 10, 2009
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. I almost gave up on it on more than one occasion. Nevertheless, it turned out to be more insightful and engrossing as I read on.
July 23, 2010
I absolutely loved this book!!! It kept me turning pages because of suspense!!!!
April 21, 2012
i immensely enjoyed reading this book the way it started out seems like a plot from a movie and it grabbed me from there on out
Read
December 28, 2007Boring
August 31, 2008
this book was so good i wasn't able to put it down
September 11, 2009
OK Novel. A little too street for me but it held it's story line.
October 24, 2009
this was a good good book and this would be one of my books that i would like to read again.
Read
June 28, 2011This book took me a minute to finish reading it. It didn't really flow like his other books.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews