" . . . Love can be found, and can thrive, in unlikely places. Curtis finds love in Iraq as he struggles to stay alive in a war he doesn't want to fight. Letha, a teenage mother, discovers her own beauty in the love of her child . . .

"This big-as-life collection celebrates the styling; the courage; the humor, hope, and sorrow; the street poetry of life on 145th Street. Most of all [this book] reflects the love Walter Dean Myers has for his community and its people."

From Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick:
"When the going gets tough - fake it!

"Look, I didn't as to move to Nowheresville, Pennsylvania. I stick out here like a squid on Mount Everest. The way I figure it, blending in won't make people like me. Or solve my huge family problems. Or get me noticed by Woody, the fearless, wild-haired, guitar-rocking girl of my dreams - without getting my butt kicked by her huge, evil friend.

"Blending in is impossible. So maybe it's time for me to stand out."