Last Summer On State Street by Toya Wolfe

The summer of 1999 the housing projects on the south side of Chicago were a rough place to live for everyone but especially hard on the kids. Felicia, Precious,Stacia and Tonya began that summer playing jump rope games and it would end with their world torn apart by gangs, their home environment and if they were "lease compliant" when their building was slated to come down. A coming of age that is equally horrifying as it is heartwarming. The struggle for the mom's to take care of kids and make enough money to live, the boys who went from toddlers to gangs overnight and the girls who just wanted the world to be as beautiful of a place as their dreams. Strong women of all ages did everything they could to protect these kids and at the heart was Felicia who tried to help those who couldn't help themselves by offering friendship. Fans of The Wire and THE INVISIBLE CHILD and stories from the inner city will appreciate this.
​4 stars