First Round Lottery Pick: Book One of The Vil

by Franklin White

Langston Holiday is forced to move with his no-nonsense mother into the gritty public housing projects of Poindexter Village, better known as "The Vil," after his father abandons them. Without any assistance, his mother is determined to make a man out of Langston—and she’s doing a pretty good job. By the end of his senior year, Langston is one of the best high-school basketball players in the nation. That’s when he makes the biggest decision of his to forgo college and enter the professional ranks.

When word hits the streets about Langston’s success, his newfound wealth stirs up plenty of envy in the projects, sparking a wave of unthinkable drama and crime. He’s being relentlessly pursued by Toy Daniels, a has-been athlete who’s determined to sign Langston to his newly formed sports agency. Langston’s best friend, Jalen, becomes involved in shady dealings with people who are known for nothing but trouble, and his girlfriend, Tori, is quickly becoming fed up with Langston’s wandering ways. Suddenly, Langston doesn’t know who he can trust.

This gripping novel from bestselling author Franklin White realistically depicts the pitfalls of basketball stardom, when large amounts of money fall into the hands of people who’ve never known anything but poverty and struggle.

164 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2005

Reviews

[Bless · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the ending! "I didn't kill him, neither did you." I'm so happy and proud of L. He did what he had to do! He took Tori back and loved her so much and he dedicated the court to Jalen. Toy got what he deserved. Although, at the beginning of the story, I confused Toy with Tori. Excellent job Mr. White! I recommend this book to any boy who loves sports and feels that they can get where they ate going with faith and aren't afraid to give back or do the right thing.

[alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok for the Urban Lit. genre. I liked that it wasn't too exploitive and the language was fairly clean. I hated that violence was viewed in the end as an acceptable solution to the protagonist's problem

[Darwin Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it kept me up late at night always wondering what happen next.I also liked it because it is a book that shows how much some people struggle and brings fit to others attention.

[Lezlie (Nancy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so this is the first Franklin White novel I have read & this book was good, can't wait to read the follow up. Is it out yet or what?

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A SHORT BOOK WITH A LOT OF TWISTS. GOOD BOOK

[Jamal]

It was a good book that was very interesting.