Young Adult Literature without Apology

Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.

Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

King, Katina (2006). Ride Wit' Me. Lanham, MD: Young Diamond Books. ISBN: 0972400389.

This is the first real example of young adult "street lit." I've ever read, though I have read what some consider to be the premier and perhaps even inaugural street novel, Sister Souljah's The Coldest Winter Ever. According to the July 15, 2006 Library Journal article on the subject (by David Wright), street or urban fiction is a genre distinguished from the "African-American fiction" genre by its emphasis on "thug life" and crime and its "realistic" look at the streets. Though Ride Wit' Me did fulfil the first two criteria, I can't say that this is necessarily a realistic novel. When Sixteen year old Mercedes returns to her family's home after a year away at an exclusive private boarding school, she meets Dalvin, an older, good-looking and smooth young man. She and Dalvin fall hard for each other and by page 24, Mercedes is dreaming: "Not only was I his [Dalvin's] girl, but I hoped one day, I'd be his wife". Unfortunately, Mercedes' parents are against the relationship, namely because, as Dalvin confesses, "My father runs half the streets of Chicago. . . And the half my father don't run, your father does"(King, 2006, 44). The star-crossed lovers break up with Romeo and Juliet-like tragedy; but are soon reunited in the novel's happy ending.

I'm not completely sure how I'd assess this first novel from a new press. Souljah's street novel was much darker and harder-hitting, where this Y.A. offering lies distinctly in fantasy territory. I'm especially intrigued by the inclusion of "Reader's Group Guide Questions" printed on the back pages of this book. Where some of the questions seemed a little trite (like number 13, "Who was your favorite character?"), others pointed to alternate readings of the novel that I hadn't really considered (like number 17, "Did you expect someone in this book to get shot or injured though violence? Why?").