Street Pharm

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

Ty Johnson, “King of the Streets” hustler in his New York City hood,
manages his imprisoned father’s “business,” carefully ensuring
that his mother does not find out. Ty lives by a personal code developed
from his early reading of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: know your enemies,
never lose control or show weakness, be self-reliant, practise patience,
control physical instincts, avoid girlfriends and guns, and manage time
efficiently. After his high school expels him, 17-year-old Ty bows to
maternal pressure and attends an alternative school where he meets and
develops a relationship with Alyse, a girl with “style and class.”

Unfortunately, business interferes with Ty’s love life. One of his
father’s former rivals tries to take over Ty’s business, sets him up
on a celebrity drug bust, and finally sends goons to gun him down. Ty
survives and devises a successful scheme to remove the competition, but
in the process he loses Alyse, quits school and leaves home, and
witnesses the death of his partner from a deal gone bad—all of which
compels him to question his career path and make difficult choices.

Having taught at a Brooklyn high school, van Diepen is able to
reproduce slang, profanity, drug terms, and references with
authenticity. First-person narration, snappy dialogue, an appealing
protagonist, and an action-rich plot combine to present Ty’s
remarkable conversion. Although leaving the drug culture without
repercussions is a somewhat unrealistic scenario, the possibility of a
smart, appealing young man embracing a drug- and crime-free future sends
a positive message to young-adult readers. Recommended.