A review by hashim523
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

5.0

It’s through this book I learned about the Robert Taylor Homes - a set of 28 public housing high rises in Chicago, from the 60s to the early 00s. Named after Robert Taylor, who had advocated for integrated, multi-income housing scattered throughout Chicago, these buildings were instead built along a single 2-mile stretch. This sequestered a population of poor, mainly black folks to what would become a haven for gang violence and drug dealing.

Last Summer on State Street is one of the most haunting books I’ve ever read. It follows four young black girls living in these Robert Taylor Homes as they attempt to hold on to their childhood, but are instead forced to grow up much too fast. Taking place in the late 90s in Chicago, the events are grounded in reality, and explore generational trauma, police brutality, and the effects of structural racism. I don’t know many books that have left me shaken the way this one has.