International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. A Printz Honor Book!
If thereās one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, itās that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dadās in prison.
Lifeās not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mavās got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out heās a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But itās not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when heās offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where heās expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove heās different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. Heāll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.
Josie
30/07/2021
An excellent book. A must read.