A highly controversial yet widely read genre of literature called street lit is making its way through urban high schools and middle schools. This relatively new breed of books is particularly popular among minority students.

      Street lit, also referred to as urban lit, gangsta lit, or hip-hop lit, is usually characterized by being fast-paced, full of drama, and primarily features minority main characters. Settings are almost exclusively in large cities. But it is the content of the books that makes many of these titles controversial.

      Megan Honig in her article “Takin’ It to the Streets: Teens and Street Lit” summarizes street lit as:

      “…typically take place in urban settings and feature protagonists of color, usually African Americans. Often considered the literary kin to rap music, street-lit novels feature many elements common in contemporary rap: sex, drugs, crime, flashy material goods, and up-to-date slang.”

      While many middle school teachers will be immediately turned off by the definition and dismiss this genre, they may miss a golden opportunity to turn many non-readers into readers.

      Most street lit is geared toward adults and contains material that may not be appropriate for middle school students. These books are not character-driven. The majority are plot-driven. More publishers are recognizing a large market—mainly middle school and high school minority students—and are eager to fill the void with books that may represent aspects of readers’ lives. Some critics argue that these books can be stereotypical or celebrate lives of crime. But many of them also have messages that crime doesn’t pay and that school is important. Regardless of the criticism, these books will fly off shelves.

      The hugely popular Bluford series is targeted at middle school students. All titles in this series feature African American characters, are easy to read, and contain lots of drama—a combination that young readers love. With titles like The Gun, Schooled, and The Bully, teachers have found these books hook students—particularly minority students. The Bluford books are sanitized versions of what most street lit books are like. Some critics don’t even consider these books true street lit because they are not as raw as other titles. Teachers also like the Bluford series because they can quickly stock up on these titles as they are inexpensive; each title is only a dollar through Townsend Press.

      What initially draws teens to street lit (and many other books) is their covers. Many street lit book covers resemble rap CD covers, and some are very racy. However, the books geared toward students usually feature African Americans prominently on the cover, are colorful, and have bold artwork or graphics. Titles are usually short and catchy. Middle school students definitely judge books by their covers.

While most street lit titles are aimed at adults, teachers will need to do some searching and some reading to find titles that they are comfortable with and will appeal to their students. This genre could be another weapon to help turn non-readers into readers.