CITATION: Johnson, P.M. (2003). From a hard rock to a gem: A memoir of a lost soul. San Francisco: Macavelli Press.IDENTIFYING #: ISBN 0974657212
CLASSIFICATION: FICTION
GENRE: URBAN FICTION/REALISTIC FICTION
CALL #: FIC JOHNSON
RECOMMENDED AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: ADULTS/OLDER TEENS
RATING:4
Annotation: Born in East Oakland, Diamond strives to attain the only definition of success she knows, but old childhood fantasies pull at her and she begins to wonder if something more is possible.
Summary: Diamond Sterling is a tough, East Oakland girl. She grew up in a labyrinth of abuse, drugs, and crime, but she's a survivor, and sets aside what now seem to be the naiive dreams of childhood--dreams of college and a life outside of the East Oakland Streets and carves out the only success that seems possible to someone with all the odds stacked against them. Diamond becomes a "Queenpin", or basically, a drug boss, and while she has money and power, the success feels empty. She begins a new search for success of a different kind, success where self-respect is more important than the respect you can get on the streets. It's not easy though, because sometimes the person you are gets lost in who you've become. Diamond wonders if she can give up the riches a life of crime has earned her for something that just might be more valuable.
Notes: This book is a favorite with teens at my school. Pamela Johnson grew up in Oakland, CA and knows the allure drugs and crime offer to people who feel they are blocked off from legitmate opportunities. Diamond's story feels a little exaggerated in parts, but the issues are real, and the story is one that will hopefully help young people realize that money isn't the only form of success.
