American Street

by Ibi Zoboi
Scott County Library hardcover 324 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

The story opens with teenager Fabiola Toussaint being allowed into the United States from Haiti, but her mother being detained. As she travels to Detroit to meet with her aunt and cousins, her primary goal is to get her mother back.

Liked: Fabiola's resilience, especially when she points out that her life in Haiti was as precarious as her cousins' experiences in Detroit.
I also like the character of Kasim and how basically good he was . . . in comparison to Dray.
The language was both beautiful and ugly. Zoboi has a strong voice and this is a memorable book.

Disliked: The swearing and violence! I think this is a bit much for middle schoolers. I also think it would be interesting to hear reviews from black teens who live in Detroit - my perspective is so different as a white woman living in rural Minnesota.

On page 247, there is a scene that really struck me. Fab is comforting her cousin Donna, who has been injured by her boyfriend. "My cousins are hurting. My aunt is hurting. My mother is hurting. And there is no one here to help. How is this the good life, when even the air in this place threatens to wrap its fingers around my throat? In Haiti, with all its problems, there was always a friend or a neighbor to share in the misery. And then, after our troubles were tallied up like those points at the basketball game, we would celebrate being alive."

This is a powerful book for more mature readers.