‘Street Lit’ a Favorite Among Teens
Goodbye Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High. Teens are now flocking to read books like “A Gangsta’s Girl” and “A Hood Chick’s Story.”
It’s called “street lit” folks and the kids love it.
Urban fiction is a style of literature that depicts drugs, violence, and sexual promiscuity in black and Latino neighborhoods. Some of the books, like “The Coldest Winter Ever,” detail the extravagant lifestyles of drug dealers. Others describe the bloody violence associated with the drug trade. The sex scenes are explicit and, in some cases, sex is is often used as a form of power rather than an expression of love.
This genre is nothing new. In fact, it has been around since the 1970’s. Only recently has it taken off, attracting young adults particularly from urban areas to sit down and pick up a book. But are these books sending the wrong message? How much damage can a book called ”Hotlanta” really do on a 16-year-old mind?
Experts say these plots are relevant for teens living in the inner-cities of America. This is the kind of stuff they deal with everyday.
As for our middle-America children. Well, perhaps they won’t be attracted to “street lit,” but they will be attracted to TV shows like “Gossip Girl” which sends the same sexual message.
In my opinion, never take a book from a child. Let them read - and read often. Urban fiction is still an escape, even if it does hit close to home for some kids. Take that away, and what’s left? Drugs, crime, and sex.
Reading. It’s a good thing. Even if it’s a comic book.
More from around the sphere:
- And some mainstream publishers are now offering a “safer” variety of teen street lit, such as Scholastic’s “Bluford High” and Harlequin’s “Kimani Tru” series—but beware, young connoisseurs of urban lit may find these more restrained … - Today’s New York Times informs us that urban libraries like the one headed by Shonda Miller in Far Rockaway, Queens, have begun to embrace what’s variously known as “urban fiction,” “street lit” or “gangsta lit,” a genre that sprang up. - For the record, I never called my work “street literature” and I never will. When I began to publish ground breaking contemporary novels with Flyy Girl in 1993, and Capital City in 1994, I called them “urban classics. … |
