Urban+Literature

=OELMA Conference 2012= It occurred to me, as a lot of you were sharing your experiences with urban lit, that I should have my lists in a wiki format, rather than on a static website, so that you can add to them! So please, add the books that you've had good luck with, and this will become a work in progress rather than a list compiled by one person. The books or series are listed according to the author's last name, with "Various authors" being the default for series with more than one author.

Middle School Appropriate Urban Fiction
Bertrand, Diane Gonzales--Trino's Choice; Trino's Time

Billingsley, ReShonda Tate--Good Girlz series

Carter, Nikki--So For Real series

Curtis, Christopher Paul--Bucking the Sarge

Draper, Sharon--Double Dutch; Hazelwood High series; Romiette & Julio

Ewing, Lynne--Drive-by

Flake, Sharon--Bang!; Begging for Change; Money Hungry; Skin I'm In; Who Am I Without Him; You Don't Even Know My Name: Stories & Poems About Boys

Griffin, Peni R.--Music Thief

Grimes, Nikki--Bronx Masquerade; Jazmin's Notebook

Jones, Traci L.--Standing Against the Wind


 * Murray, Victoria Christopher--Divas series

Myers, Walter Dean--Fast Sam, Cool Clyde & Stuff; It Ain't All For Nothin'; Mouse Rap; Scorpions; Somewhere in the Darkness; Won't Know Till I Get There; Young Landlords

Neri, G.--Chess Rumble; Ghetto Cowboy

Pearsall, Shelley--All of the Above


 * Precious--Platinum Teen series

Schraff, Anne--Urban Underground series

Shusterman, Neal--Red Rider's Hood

Various authors (Peggy Kern, John Langan, Paul Langan, Anne Schraff, etc.)--Bluford High series


 * Williams, Lori Aurelia--When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune

Woodson, Jacqueline--After Tupac & D Foster; Hush; Locomotion; Miracle's Boys; Peace, Locomotion


 * I have not yet purchased these items for my library collection.

High School Appropriate Urban Fiction
Adams, Lenore--Baby Girl

Booth, Coe--Bronxwood; Kendra; Tyrell


 * Buckhanon, Kalisha--Upstate


 * Carter, Nikki--Fab Life series

Chase, Paula--Del Rio Bay Clique series

Daniels, Babygirl--Baby Girl Drama series


 * Dean, Carolee--Take Me There

Divine, L.--Drama High series Draper, Sharon--Battle of Jericho series Elkeles, Simone--Chain Reaction; Perfect Chemistry

Ewing, Lynne--Party Girl

Frost, Helen--Keesha's House

Garcia, Rita Williams--Every Time a Rainbow Dies; Fast Talk on a Slow Track; Jumped; Sisters on the Homefront

Going, K.L.--Saint Iggy

Goobie, Beth--Who Owns Kelly Paddick


 * Goodman, Shawn--Something Like Hope

Griffen, Paul--Orange Houses


 * Grimes, Nikki--Girl Named Mister

Hijuelos, Oscar--Dark Dude

Hunter, Travis--On the Come Up

Hyde, Catherine Ryan--Becoming Chloe

Johnson, Angela--First Part Last


 * Jordan, Dream--Hot Girl, Bad Boy

Keren, David--When I Was Joe series

Lee, Darren--Denim Diaries series


 * Leflore, Lyah B.--Come Up series

Lipsyte, Robert--Brave


 * London, Kelli--Boyfriend Season

McDonald, Janet--Brother Hood; Chill Wind; Harlem Hustle; Off-Color; Spellbound; Twists and Turns

Morgenroth, Kate--Jude

Myers, Walter Dean--145th Street; Autobiography of My Dead Brother; Beast; Dope Sick; Lockdown; Monster; Shooter; Street Love; What They Found: Love on 145th Street

Pena, Matt de la--Ball Don't Lie; We Were Here

Porter, Connie Rose--Imani All Mine

Simone, Ni Ni--Girl Like Me; If I Was Your Girl; No Boyz Allowed; Shortie Like Mine; Teenage Love Affair; Upgrade U

Sitomer, Alan--Hip-Hop High School; Homeboyz; Hoopster

Soto, Gary--Afterlife

Strasser, Todd--If I Grow Up

Tillit, L.B.--Unchained

Van Diepen, Allison--Raven; Snitch; Street Pharm

Various authors--Kimani Tru series


 * Various authors--Wahida Clark Presents Young Adult

Volponi, Paul--Black and White; Riker's High; Rooftop; Rucker Park Setup

Voorhees, Coert--Brothers Torres

Walker, Brian F.--Black Boy, White School

Williams, Lori Aurelia--Broken China

Woods, Brenda--Emako Blue

Woodson, Jacqueline--Behind You; Beneath a Meth Moon

Wright, Richard--Native Son *I have not yet purchased these items for my library collection.

If you REALLY want to push the envelope...
*Holmes, Shannon--B More Careful

Hopkins, Ellen--Crank; Fallen; Glass; Tricks


 * Sapphire--Push


 * Souljah, Sister--Coldest Winter Ever; Midnight


 * Stringer, Vickie--Let That Be the Reason


 * Tyree, Omar--Flyy Girl

*I have not yet decided if I will purchase these items for my library collection.
 * Woods, Teri--True to the Game

Picture Books:
Allen, Debbie and Kadir Nelson--Brothers of the Knight


 * Crews, Nina--Neighborhood Mother Goose

Elliott, Zetta--Bird

Keats, Ezra Jack--Goggles!; Snowy Day

Norman, Lissette and Frank Morrison--My Feet are Laughing

Ringold, Faith--Tar Beach

*I have not yet purchased these items for my library collection.
 * Sendak, Maurice--We Are All In the Dumps With Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes With Pictures

Poetry:
Shakur, Tupac--Rose That Grew From Concrete

Smith, Hope Anita--Keeping the Night Watch; Way a Door Closes

Graphic Novels:
Landowne, Youme and Anthony Horton--Pitch Black

Neri, Greg--Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Nicholas, Jamar--Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun

Nonfiction:
Alexander, Michelle--New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness


 * Brown, Claude--Manchild of the Promised Land

Chura, David--I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup

Coates, Ta-Nehisi--Beautiful Struggle

Davis, Sampson, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt--We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success

Gantos, Jack--Hole in My Life

Humes, Edward--No Matter How Loud I Shout

Juette, Melvin--Wheelchair Warrior: Gangs, Disability, and Basketball

Kuklin, Susan--No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row

McCall, Nathan--Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America

McDonald, Janet--Project Girl

Myers, Walter Dean--Bad Boy: A Memoir

Shakur, Sanyika--Monster: The Autobiography of a L.A. Gang Member

Sheff, David--Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

Sheff, Nic--Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines

Stewart, Gail--Teens in Prison


 * Thomas, Piri--Down These Mean Streets

X, Malcolm--Autobiography of Malcolm X *I have not yet purchased these items for my library collection.