He talks about drugs, prison life, girls, peer pressure, growing up poor, living in apartments without heat in the dead of winter and feeling like an invisible man. He writes about snorting heroin, stealing and hating white people. For those of us who grew up in the ghetto, relating to these experiences and feelings isn’t hard. All those young bad-asses going to jail should read the chapter Sex In the Can. If that doesn’t convince them jail isn’t the place to be, then I’m not sure anything will. There is a lot to be said about learning from other people’s mistakes. Although it’s difficult at times to follow some of the passages, readers can shut their eyes and it’s as if the book was written today.

Thomas’ book along with a healthy fear of my mother’s wrath gave me some motivation to make a difference in my community. Thomas was one of my idols as a teenager and still is today. While not always proud of some things I have done, I do wear my “Black Puerto Rican Man” badge with honor. NOTHING will ever take that away. I owe that to my family and Mr. Piri Thomas.

Down These Mean Streets provides lessons in life and should be mandatory reading in all schools. Piri Thomas gives us all an opportunity to get straight A’s in life. M

June 1999