American Street Lib/E
A National Book Award Finalist with five starred reviews!
A New York Times Notable Book * Publishers Weekly Flying Start * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice of 2017 (Top of the List winner) * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * BookPage Best YA Book of the Year
American Street is an evocative and powerful coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Everything, Everything; Bone Gap; and All American Boys.
In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture.
On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie--a good life.
But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit's west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.
Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?
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Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Star Child; Okoye to the People; the Walter Award-winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam; and the Coretta Scott King Honor-winning picture book The People Remember. She is also the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net.
Narrator Robin Miles glides silkily through Haitian Creole, Detroit street talk, and standard American English, infusing the dialogue with authentic-sounding accents and age-appropriate sass and bravado...Miles illuminates Fabiola's tangled emotions...infusing her near-flawless performance with nuanced drama. Listeners will long remember Fabiola's transformative journey. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.
-- "AudioFile"Self-assured, elegant, and utterly captivating.
-- "New York Times Book Review"Zoboi urges us to examine the American dream to see if there is room within it to hold the ones we love.
-- "Ebony"With magic, humanity, tragedy, and hope, Zoboi builds up, takes apart, and then rebuilds an unforgettable story. This book will take root in readers' hearts.
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Unflinchingly tackles contemporary issues of immigration, assimilation, violence, and drug dealing...Mixing gritty street life with the tenderness of first love, Haitian Vodou, and family bonds, the book is at once chilling, evocative, and reaffirming.
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"A breathtaking story about contemporary America that will serve as a mirror to some and a window for others, and it will stay with anyone who reads it.
-- "School Library Journal (starred review)"Zoboi's stunning debut intertwines mysticism and love with grit and violence...Fierce and beautiful.
-- "Booklist (starred review)"A lovely and poignant meditation on one girl's struggle to find her way in a new world.
-- "Nicola Yoon, New York Times bestselling author"Brimming with culture, magic, warmth, and unabashed rawness, American Street is ultimately a blistering tale of humanity...a remarkable debut from Zoboi.
-- "Jason Reynolds, coauthor of All American Boys"
