I read her later novel Watch us Rise and it is a powerful novel about teenagers finding their voice and not letting administration silence them. You can see how this author has grown from this earlier novel to her current writings.

In this book we have twins Maya and Nikki along with their best friend Essence who are finishing high school and deciding on a future. In their neighborhood, it is going through a transformation. It has always been a black community but now the white people are moving in buying houses and opening trendy shops. Nikki embraces the change, makes friends with the new comers, while Maya wants nothing to change. Essence is forced to move and begins to realize the childhood dreams will not make her grown up world.

This story has promise, just not completely developed.