A review by mjwhitlock18
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

Coming-of-age story of an adolescent girl growing up in a housing project dealing with gang violence and loss of community due to gentrification, as well as navigating the changing landscape of her friendships. The voice and character of FeFe feels authentic, naive in a realistic way, and grows and changes as she loses innocence in a system that refuses to protect her and deals with turmoil, systemic injustice, and personal hurdles. The second part has a shift in tone, with her adult self recounting later events and reflecting on/ mourning the childhood she had. This narrative clearly shows the cycle of generational poverty, systemic racism, and police brutality, but still highlighting how she flourished with support and love. 
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