This is the book for a student who *can* read but has trouble finding a book to stick with. At just over 400 pages, this will be a challenging read for any reader with low stamina, though the vocabulary is accessible. Rife with swear words and violence, the author tells the story of his juvenile delinquency, up through his decision to go to college and escape Harlem. He paints a vivid picture of his confusion as a youngster, followed by the fear and eventual disillusionment that he experiences as he grows older. His stories are thrilling. He was shot when he was only thirteen, and began stealing when he was five; the book includes realistic but humorous descriptions of several ways to steal.

Unfortunately, many anecdotes seem to repeat over and over again: "I knew this guy" "We had a fight" "That junkie died..." The book would have been more compelling had it been more rigorously edited. Furthermore, the narrator becomes increasingly unreliable as more and more of his acquaintances seem to fawn over him more than speaking to him as an equal. The author's reasons for leaving Harlem are not illustrated for at least the first half of the book, which seems to glorify crime; a student who gives up on the book without finishing it (and, as I said, it is long and prone to being abandoned) will miss the main lesson it imparts.

Please be aware that a commercial audiobook is not available, though Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic has a downloadable version.