I think a fiction book based on gang violence in NY or somewhere on the East Coast. Young boy get initiated into a gang and follows his story.

[Taylor]

I remember a classmate in middle school (about 2009) lending me this book to read, but the book I am quite sure was maybe around 10 years older than that or more. It was a hardcover book that felt like it was a cloth cover (?) and was predominately red if not all red. The book was about a young boy who lived in the city and was a mischief who always got into trouble at school and around town. He ran into another group of kids who were apart of a gang and started doing what they did. I remember one small part pretty well, come time for initiation they all went to i think an abandoned warehouse which was where they all congregated, and the main character had to get knives thrown at him and he was not allowed to flinch, if you flinched you got hurt. So he did it no problem, but a kid after him flinched and the gang made the main character take a knife to the boys armpits and then went into deep description about the blood. I think there was an incident that happened at school before he got expelled where he got into a fight with a student or teacher or principal as well and threw a desk/chair at them? I have been looking for this book for almost 8 years!!

[Rainbowheart]

How old was the boy?

Do you remember if he was white, black, or Hispanic?

[Kris]

Taylor is still looking for this book:

"Non fiction gang violence novel about young Hispanic boy navigating gang life in a bad part of a city (can’t remember what city) with his single mother.

So I read this book between 2008/2010. From what I remember it was an older book of that time already, i believe red cover. It was about this young Hispanic boy growing up in a city with I think his single mom. There were a lot of gangs in this city he lived in and he always had to walk the long way to school to miss them. He eventually got beat up by one, and decided to join another to stay safe. In his initiation he went to an old building, and there were a lot of other people in there doing initiations. Knife throwing was one. The main character’s initiation was the get his armpits cut. Then he was able to join. At some point, he got in fights at school and I think threw something or punched a teacher or principal and got expelled."

[Kris]

Is this a realistic fiction novel for teens, a non-fiction memoir, or non-fiction based on a true story? How old is the boy?

[Dave]

Hmm. Some aspects remind me of "The Cross and the Switchblade".

[Rainbowheart]

The Cross and the Switchblade for Dave's suggestion.