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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Gang violence, murder, and street violence throughout
Language
A lot
Strong language throughout; authentic to the Brooklyn street setting
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content throughout
Substance Use
A lot
The drug trade and substance use are central to the entire novel
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological portrait of a young woman with no framework for values beyond material wealth and survival — and what that costs her — is the novel's sustained and sobering subject
What this book is about
Sister Souljah's novel follows Winter Santiaga, seventeen years old, whose father is one of Brooklyn's most powerful drug lords. When the empire collapses — her father arrested, her family scattered — Winter must navigate survival on her own terms, with only the values her father's world gave her. Souljah writes an unflinching portrait of street life, materialism, and the consequences of a world built on violence and drugs. The novel is graphic in every category: violence, sexual content, language, and drug trade are all central and explicit. Considered a classic of urban fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit violence, sexual content, and drug use throughout
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