The threat of gentrification leads a Black teen mother to resort to desperate measures in this profound novel by Lee (Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman). While trying to finish high school, 17-year-old B'onca Johnson is struggling both interpersonally and financially. Barely earning enough money to take care of herself, let alone her newborn daughter, Mia, leaves attending college out of the question, and the rising cost of rent in her Memphis neighborhood further complicates things. The situation takes a turn for the worse when B'onca's 19-year-old ex-boyfriend, Mia's father, is killed, resulting in his parents seeking custody of Mia. Needing money to provide a better life for her daughter, B'onca begins facilitating drug deals for a local gang, hoping that just one job will be "enough to get me on my feet." B'onca's overwhelming love for Mia and fervent determination to do right by her despite potential consequences is stirring . Through the protagonist's viscerally wrought narrative, Lee crafts an unflinching portrayal of seemingly insurmountable hurdles toward overcoming a cycle of financial precarity and improving one's quality of life. Ages 14--up. (Jan.)

A Black teen mom tries to make the best decisions for her baby. Living in the Memphis projects, B'onca's family is accustomed to babies arriving; people going to college is less common. Her mama had her sister at 15, and her sister had her daughter at 16, but after her best friend, Savannah, gets into a top college, everyone expects B'onca to follow in her footsteps. When B'onca gets pregnant at 16, she doesn't feel like she has much of a choice, however, and she gives birth soon after her 17th birthday even though her 19-year-old boyfriend proclaims he is too young to be a father. In the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, B'onca's story feels positioned to act as a valuable mirror for young single moms doing their best and a window for other readers, showing them the realities of life with limited choices, insufficient resources, and myriad systemic obstacles. Although B'onca graduates high school and gets accepted to three universities, barriers to her success--eviction, access to day care, and more--keep arising. When her daughter Mia's father is killed and his parents threaten to seek custody, B'onca has to decide whether making money through illegal means is the best way to provide for her daughter. B'onca is a well-written character, and her story will resonate with anyone who feels trapped despite their best efforts. An authentic portrayal of the cycle of poverty. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.