Disclaimer: I was chosen to receive a copy of this book by the librarything’s early reviewers program. This book was in the December 2010 batch, and as of the date of this review I have not received this book. I did request a copy of this story though my library’s Inter Library Loan (ILL) office, and I thank The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for sending it.

Franky has gone though so much in his short life, he is an orphan, he is a Hurricane Katrina survivor, and he is living with his well meaning but “derelict” cousins in harsh conditions. After the storm, and his move to Atlanta, Franky did not return to school for three years. Thankfully Franky decides it is time to return to school, and on his first day back he meets Khadija. Khadija and Franky immediately hit it off, and a romance begins. Throughout the story Franky has to make the difficult choices so often made in an impoverished urban setting, but he faces a major choice when it comes to dealing with a person that caused harm to his beloved Khadija.

This story needs an editor. Story lines are out of order, chapter 9 starts off with a repeated sentence, and some passages are awkward and difficult to follow. These mistakes severely corrode the quality of this story, and make it difficult for me to recommend this book. The important message trying to find its way to the reader is a redeeming quality, but the distractions take away from this message and make this book one that can be passed over. ( )

this is a story of determination and a willingness to change before life changes you. The character frankie, has been dealt some harsh realities . He lost his family in Katrina and was left to grow up fst with two older cousins. They were all he had ,but Frankie was determined to change and not be a part of the problem but become the solution to the problem