What’s Up With Urban Fiction?
Urban fiction, which got it’s start from books such as Pimp by Iceberg Slim (1967), The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), Flyy Girl (1993) by Omar Tyree, Tupac’s A Rose Grows in Concrete (1999), and The Coldest Winter Ever (1999) by Sister Souljah has gotten its hands on the young adult market (Urban Fiction, 2009). A slew of younger authors now dominate the field include Nikki Turner, Carl Weber, and Teri Woods, who write for adults. Others write urban fiction geared toward a younger audience. These include Walter Dean Myers, L. Divine, Sharon Flake, Lawrence Sitomer, Allison van Diepen, Matt de la Pena, Coe Booth, and Sharon Draper, among many others. Their topics range from homelessness, to prostitution, to addiction, to gang activity, to incarceration, to abuse, to parenting. There are stories set in the Midwest, East Coast, West Coast, and internationally. The characters are rich and poor (but rarely middle class). If you look beyond the stereotype of urban fiction as a glamorization of thug life, there is a slew of important and meaningful urban fiction.
Urban fiction or street lit can be seen as a subset of the realistic or issues fiction genre. Tixier Herald (2003) writes that as long as teens exist, issue novels will exist. Teens will always have problems. The focus of these novels changes according to the dominant problems of the time (from AIDS to homelessness to war), but they will always be important. A number of the books selected for this genre study are included in various sub-sections of Tixier Herald’s “Issues” chapter: Crime and Criminals, Gangs, Pregnancy and Teen Parents, Homelessness, and Foster Living.
Issue-based novels can help teens understand others, offering a glimpse into unfamiliar territory. Alternately, teens may find characters and situations that they can identify with. In the Book Group Buzz Blog by Booklist, one poster writes about her thoughts on why teens love to read these gritty and often painful stories (Real World, Teen Fiction, 10/15/2008). “[Teens]…read to learn, to feel less alone and to be entertained. Some read the [sic] see their worlds reflected, others to be transported from the safety of their own” (Real World, Teen Fiction, para. 9).
It is important to keep in mind that most of the titles included in this genre study are different from much adult urban fiction. Sharon Flake is not really an equivalent of an author like Zane. There are teen novels that follow the formula of adult urban fiction, such as Ride Wit’ Me, a young adult novel that includes a great deal of explicit sex, language, and typos. The Coldest Winter Ever, a classic and groundbreaking novel is a model for the newer generation of urban fiction. The majority of books included in this study examine real issues, and most of them don’t tread lightly. But they are from well-reviewed, award winning authors. These young adult urban titles show the consequences of certain actions: people go to jail, people get shot, people overdose, people die (Hall, 2006). Teens will identify with these situations, they see it in real life or on TV. Although one character is a teen mother, another a drug dealer, another a foul-mouthed foster kid, these titles have value other than providing exemplary role models. Most importantly, the genre, (whether the title is the rawest of the raw, or something tamer like The First Part Last by Angela Johnson), is excellent fodder for discussion.
Works Consulted
Hall, L. (July 30, 2007). Is urban fiction appropriate for African-American teenagers? Associated Content. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322469/is_urban_fiction_appropriate_for_african.html
Jones, V.E. (November 3, 2008). Urban fiction gains teen fans and adult critics. Boston Globe. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/11/03/the_real_world/
Misha. (October 15, 2008). Real world, teen fiction. Booklist Online. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/10/15/real-world-teen-fiction/
Tixier Herald, D. (2003). Teen genreflecting: A guide to reading interests. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Urban fiction. (August 1, 2009). Retrieved August 1, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fiction
Urban Fiction/Street Lit/Hip Hop Fiction Resources for Librarians. (April 19, 2009). Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Urban_Fiction/Street_Lit/Hip_Hop_Fiction_Resources_for_Librarians
