Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Last Summer on State Street

Last Summer on State Street is a very impactful coming of age story, centred on four girls who live in the Robert Taylor Homes, a public housing project in Chicago, during the eventful summer of 1999. Twelve year old FeFe and Precious are long term friends. Along with Stacia and newcomer Tonya they spend a lot of time outside playing games and jumping rope together. The contrast between their childhood innocence and the environment in which they live - one where their homes are being torn down and they worry about where they might end up living, where their friends slowly disappear as apartment buildings are demolished, where drugs and gang violence are rife and sheltering from gunfire a commonplace occurrence - was striking and a highlight of the book for me. Apart from the forthcoming loss of their homes, other events of this summer will change their lives forever, robbing them of any remaining childhood. I felt for the girls, but also their brothers and other boys, who are relentlessly targeted by gangs and police, and of course the mothers who try against the odds to keep their children safe. The storytelling and writing were fabulous. The essence of twelve year old girlhood was beautifully captured and the sense of place was strong. Despite never having lived anywhere remotely like the Robert Taylor Homes Wolfe’s writing had me feeling I was right there. Highly recommend this fabulous debut.

Content Warnings

readingwithjaybird's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

bujoxbooked's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

4.5 stars!! (not sure exactly what is missing, but it was not a perfect 5 stars for me)

I loved reading this book especially being from Chicago, I was able to connect to this book from a special place. The Taylor homes and other section 8 homes are homes that I always heard about based on my families' experiences with them growing up and friends of theirs living there. Being from Chicago, you always hear about the violence occurring there and the gentrification process that negatively impacted the resident's lives. From reading the book through the audiobook, I felt like I was there living through it. I felt the fear, the happy moments, and the resentment too.

Happy that I stumbled upon this book! Not too often (if ever based on the books that I've read) are books ever set in Chicago, so this book has a special place in my heart for that alone!

Content Warnings