After being separated from her Manman when they arrive at Kennedy airport, Fabiola travels alone to live with her cousins on the west side of Detroit, where she must learn to navigate an entirely new world that’s not at all what she expected.įabiola’s story unfolds in and around her aunt’s house “on the corner of American and Joy.” Her experience of trying to fit into the neighborhood and school offers an open, honest examination of segmented assimilation, institutional racism, poverty, violence, and the effects of white supremacy. born teen who has spent almost her entire life in her family’s homeland of Port-au-Prince Haiti. This is the first line of American Street, the gorgeous, spirit-filled story of Fabiola Toussaint, a U.S. “If only I could break the glass separating me and Manman with my thoughts alone.”

Edwidge Danticat, The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race.

Paradoxically, I also want to tell them their crowns have already been bought and paid for and that all they have to do is put them on their heads. I want to tell them they can overcome everything, if they are courageous, resilient and brave.

I want my daughters to feel that they have the power to at least try to change things, even in a world that resists change with more strength than they have. Today, she writes about Ibi Zoboi’s powerful novel, American Street. Teen Librarian Toolbox is excited to be partnering with Marie Marquardt for her #ReadForChange project. Hop on over to this post to learn more about the initiative.

Fabiola american street