145th Street: Short Stories
Each of these ten stories is set on 145th street in Harlem. Together, they portray a neighborhood teeming with life at its funniest, saddest, most tragic, and most celebratory. In short, 145th street is a very human place. As with any neighborhood where there is a sense of community, the inhabitants watch each other and watch out for each other. They gossip, bear witness, battle, judge, support, defend, and embrace. Big Joe throws his own funeral so he can enjoy the party. The unnamed narrator of "The Baddest Dog in Harlem" stumbles onto a scene of senseless and brutal death. Young Angela Luz Colón, who starts to have prophetic dreams after her father dies, learns that it is best to keep silent about them. Officer William Michael O'Brien, a white cop from Staten Island, is hesitant to accept the friendship of Mother Fletcher, an aging Black woman who lives on his Harlem beat, until his wife and daughter shame him into opening his heart. These and other characters come to life on these pages, speaking in voices that young adults will recognize, sharing experiences at once distinct and universal in the emotions they convey. The stories are diverse in content, tone, and style, broadening the potential use and appeal of the collection as a whole . ©2000 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Short Stories
Subjects:
African Americans
City Life
Community
Diversity subjects:
Black/African
Latine
Multicultural General
Publisher:
Delacorte
Publish Year: 2000
Pages: 151
ISBN: 038532137
CCBC Location: Fiction, Myers