VIDEO: Connecting Street Lit in the Classroom

Library Media Specialist, K.C. Boyd, from Chicago, IL, published a student-run video newsletter for her school, Wendell Phillips Academy High School. In this installment, there is a segment that shows how street lit is used successfully in the classroom. Time: 07:23 //

"Behind the Paws" - S1 E1 from WPAHS Video Page on Vimeo.

Think About It #1

K'wan's Masterpiece: Animal (2012)

K'wan. 2012. Animal. NY: Cash Money Content / Simon and Schuster. ISBN-13: 978-1936399253. $14.99 US. Paperback.

K'wan is the author of over a dozen books, and upon reading his latest release, Animal, you start to realize that all the stories K'wan's told up to this point, was to prepare you for the story of Animal.

Animal is a redemption song. Animal is a love story: love rediscovered between lovers ... friends ... and family ... in the hood.

We first meet Animal in K'wan's Hood Rat series as a ruthless killer who extinguishes people with no remorse. Animal is a vigilante of sorts who metes out justice in ways that garner him as a force not just to be reckoned with; but to be deathly feared. The equalizing factor to his dark existence is his love for his woman, Gucci. Gucci loves Animal just as he is. In a series of stories they go through many ups and downs. In this story, Animal's story, they may have finally come to peace with one another, if Gucci can survive the war on the streets. In Animal's own story, here in this novel, we learn more about why Animal is the lonely soul that no one seems to be able to fully understand, but everyone fully fears. His redemption comes as a surprise to even Animal himself, but the redemption is a prodigal journey that has the potential to soothe the infamous assassin, once and for all.

A must-read for all street lit fans. This is street lit at its best. Add Animal to the pantheon of class street lit titles like The Coldest Winter Ever, True to the Game, Flyy Girl, A Street Girl Named Desire, and now ... Animal. Do not let the 400 pages deter you. Street Lit / Urban Fiction readers will read this novel as it is fast-paced action that doesn't stop. Buy multiple copies for your library as some of those copies will not be coming back. School library media specialists: this novel is appropriate for high schoolers.

In this video, K'wan explains his characterization of Animal:

K'wan is on social media at:
Twitter: #TEAMANIMAL

Facebook: #TEAMANIMAL

Facebook Group: K'wan's Readers