Dit boek heb ik gekocht en gelezen toen ik 14 was en is me altijd bijgebleven. Het verhaal is heel treurig, maar tegelijkertijd ook hoopvol. De personages zijn zeer kleurrijk en zorgen voor een divers verloop van het verhaal. ( )

Way Past Cool by Jess Mowry is a story about young gang kids in Oakland, Cali during the 1990s when crack was just starting to became a major problem in black innercities and had not yet spread to the white burbs. We meet a gang called The Friends. The leader is a cool fat boy named Gordon, who is 13. There are twins named Ric and Rac, a half-white boy named Curtis, and a boy named Lyon who a lot of people think has magic powers. There is a rival gang a few blocks away called The Crew. Its leader is Wesely, a ripped dude, and his posse is Tunk, Brett, Turbo, Ajay, and Gameboy. The gangs get along pretty well, but a 16-year-old crack dealer named Deek is trying to get them to fight so he can put the moves on their ground. Deek has a bodyguard named Ty who is basically trapped in the game. Ty's little brother, Danny (aka Furball) wants into the game, and Ty doesn't like that idea. The story is about how the two young gangs come together to take Deek down and try to keep crack out of their hood. This book has all the words in it, if you know what I'm saying, so you might not find it in your school library. It is one of the best books about being a street kid because it doesn't gloify thug life, but it doesn't preach at you either. It just tells a story and lets you decide what you think is right. There is also a movie, which is good but low-budget, but I think the book is a lot better. ( )