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In a school run by gangs, staying out was harder than joining. We knew who our friends were, and were careful what we said. If people thought we were haters, it would only be a matter of time...
Line are clearly marked at South Bay High School. It's mixed territory for the Crips and the Bloods, which means the drama never stops.
Julia DiVino wants none of it. No colors, no C-Walks -- it's not just her thing.
But when Eric Valiente jumps into her life, everything changes. Lines are redrawn. And then they're crossed.
"A gripping story that is never preachy and presents powerful, all-too-real conflicts."
-- Publisher's Weekly
"The deal was no gangs. Ever since seventh grade, Julia and her friends have determined not to allow the gang-permeated culture of Sheepshead Bay High School to ruin their futures. But that resolve wavers after Julia falls in love with newcomer Eric, a Crip, and joins the gang herself. She feels protected by the Crips, but drugs, sex, and violence are rampant, and when Eric begins to lie to her, Julia's carefully planned future dims. The author of Street Pharm (2006) exposes another teenage counterculture, realistically depicting the world of the gangbanger and the insidious nature of lifelong protection, with no escape. Julia and Eric are poignant, authentic characters in a continuously looping, real-life tragedy. Although their stories offer hope, their friends are not so lucky. Snitch presents an important object lesson for today's teens."
-- Booklist
"Van Diepen is brilliant in weaving this complex story and writing with such an authentic voice. No doubt her experience teaching in Brooklyn contributes to her crafting a realistic story and in capturing Julia's inner struggles beautifully. "
-- Young Adult Books Central
I learned a lot about gangs while researching this book. I even had a student warn, "You should stop asking so many questions." But I didn't. And I still haven't.
While I was teaching in Brooklyn, I was branded a snitch. I witnessed an incident involving some teens from another school, and I reported them. The teens then followed me to the subway station, surrounded me, threw garbage at me and cursed me out. The subway platform was crowded, but no one did anything.
The next day I told my students what had happened, and to my complete shock, they all said it was my fault because I was a snitch. They said I was lucky I hadn't been thrown onto the subway tracks. I realized that if I'd been a student instead of a teacher, I'd have been in real trouble that day. So I started wondering what it would be like for a teen who lived in fear... and the story was born.
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