If I Grow Up

In his latest gripping novel with a plot pulled from the headlines, the acclaimed author of Give a Boy a Gun focuses on the pervasive but underreported problem of gang violence, in this eye-opening portrait of life in the projects. In a gripping novel with a plot pulled from the headlines, Todd Strasser turns his attention to gang life in the inner-city projects. DeShawn is a teenager growing up in the projects.

Most of his friends only see one choice: join up to a gang. DeShawn is smart enough to want to stay in school and make something more of himself, but when his family is starving while his friends have fancy bling and new sneakers, DeShawn is forced to decide--is his integrity more important than feeding his family?