Customer Reviews

We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Led to Success

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was pleased to see such a great "non-fiction" book on the New York Times's Bestselling list. I was looking for a fiction book at the time, but bought this one instead.
This is an inspiring story of how three boys beat the odds in life, what inspired the changes in them, and how they overcame their obstacles.
It's so well-written and edited that children will have no trouble understanding the message of hope it conveys. If they could do it, anyone can do it.
I recommend it for everyone; even adults can learn from these courageous young men.

An inspiring account of three inner city boys who succeed in overcoming the odds, entering college, and fulfilling their dreams, "We Beat the Street" is a marvelous work. Written for kids, this book selects incidents from the lives of each of the three doctors in order to illustrate the great obstacles they had to surmount and the truth that street life won't pay off in the end. The reader follows Sampson, George, and Rameck as they journey from first grade through medical school, and watches them as they achieve their goals in triumph. "We Beat the Street" shows the tragedy of street life and the necessity of aid for these communities.

The content of "We Beat the Street" was skillfully edited and condensed for younger readers, making it graspable for that age level. The style was simple, but attractive, and the message was excellent. It forcefully imparted a warning, and encouraged higher education, especially for those who doubt their ability to achieve such educational goals. "Street" was quite simply one of the best books I have ever read on the subject, and deserves a wide audience.

Reviewed by Anna Kleiner for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com

In this work three African American doctors tell the story of how they used their brains, loyalty, and few good chances to escape their tough urban neighborhood, go to college and medical school, and become doctors. The book is targeted for an adolescent audience, although there is an adult version, called "The Pact" available. At the end of each chapter, the doctors give some advice to young people who want to achieve more than those around them expect.

Quote: "Young people need positive role models and guidance in their lives. There is no underestimating a positive figure in a child's life."

I picked this book up because it is the only one recommended by more than one of my ninth graders. I enjoyed the anecdotes about the childhood and teenage years of the young men, but mostly I appreciated their frank discussion of the challenges their lives presented, the choices they needed to make, and the belief of many in their neighborhood that they would never get out. I think young people would enjoy the work even more than I did, since the authors were careful to target students.

A truely inspiring story, who's characters quickly gain your empathy and respect. Following the three men through there lowest and happiest moments is what makes the book so real. This is a great tool for teenagers/young adults who may need the extra push, or example to follow to drive them toward their dreams.A perfect reason for keeping Affirmative action alive.
I am a college freshman who's struggled with myself just as the three men did,looking back on the mistakes I've made in my not so long ago past I often found it hard to look ahead.After reading We Beat the Street I felt the sense of pride and motivation I'd been missing. This book can be used as a powerful tool if used correctly at the right times of need. It's not often we hear stories where three little poor black boys from one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country, become doctors. But these men minipulate you into thinking it's normal by the tone of their characters and determination.

Reading "We Beat The Street" should be a mandatory high school requirement. Based on "The Pact," this book makes an effort to grab students by the hand and show them how to be successful through beautifully written memoir. The book explores race, correctional institutions, the issues regarding class status and college experience, as well as the nature of a citizen's responsibility to their community. I am excited to teach this book this year.

This book is an excellent read aloud book for teachers of young African American males. It encourages and helps them realize that no matter how badly one's life begins, it doesn't have to stay that way. It's a great discussion starter to help young people voice their concerns in a format that normally would not be available to them.

Illustrations:
The book presents all illustrations on 8 pages in the center of the book on glossy white paper, all in black and white. The photos show the three men from their teen years to their current occupations. The photos give the reader a clear picture of where they came from and who they became, as the final picture is of the three of them dressed in their lab coats as doctors today.

Layout of type:
The typeface is similar to that of a novel. There is a single column of type on each page, making the book read as a novel would. Chapters are both numbered and titled. Some important quotes are enlarged and set off in a unique font in a text box or sidebar.

Chapters:
Introduction
You don't have to cut my foot off, do you?
Oh, man, you're in trouble again!
Isn't that school in the ghetto?
We're gonna jack us some Icees from Jack's!
How much do you need?
Are you Godzilla or King Kong?
Yeah, man, they say the driver's dead.
I don't even know anybody who went to college.
You kids are gonna get yourself [sic] killed.
What's up with that? You think you [sic] better than us?
A sticky web of bright pink silly string across the astonished teacher's face.
I think we could all do this--the three of us--together!
If he dies, you get charged with attempted murder.
"How do you plead?" the judge asked, "Guilty, your honor."
Not only had their sons survived, but they were heading to college.
It feels good, man. It's like doing push-ups with my brain!
The boy's neck bent in an odd way, and his body fell limp.
Yo, yo, yo! Check it out! Check it out!
For the first time since high school, the three of us won't be together.
Driving while black.
Sometimes you gotta fail in order to succeed.
To friends
Conclusion
Shout outs!

Features:
Chapter titles are intriguing. The book reads like a novel with the lives of all three men intertwined. The reader would need to read the entire book to get information about any one of the subjects. Each chapter ends with a brief conversation with one of the doctors, set in a text box. There is a table of contents but no index. The section at the end called "Shout outs!" contains acknowledgments to special people in each of the subjects' lives. Sharon Draper must have been the editor of this book, as she is mentioned on the front cover and has her own list of shout outs as well.

Assessment:
The book is an easy read. The content piques the interest of young readers. This would be good for students who need a push in the right direction, but it is probably not a good resource type collection of biographies.

The best inspirational book I've read recently that is perfect for preteens and teens to read. Possibly in school as a class, or book report, or just on their own. It is a must read!

We Beat the Street is a New York Times Best Seller, by the Three Doctors, Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt, along with Sharon M. Draper. This book is about these three doctors, and how they were able to turn their dreams into reality. It was first published by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, and was later published by the Penguin Group. Sharon Draper is an award-winning author, and her main focus on writing would be for young readers.
Imagine being in the toughest neighborhoods in Newark, New Jersey, where very little success stories are heard about. Now consider a group of three boys that make a pact to each other to never give up on their dreams and do whatever it takes to fulfill that dream. Although they see their old friends fail, these boys would not concede to negative peer pressure, nor would they let any one of them falter because it would just support the fact that you can't make it out of the ghetto. Doctors Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt use their life story to show how when you surround yourself with the right people, and you have the motivation, you can achieve your goal, no matter how impossible it may seem.
Being in the ghetto, these three kids faced a lot of conflict. Drugs, violence, and negative peer pressure surrounded them constantly. Each one of them has had a life-altering experience, which has proven to help them achieve their goals of one day becoming doctors in their chosen profession. For example, when it was Sampson's birthday, and all of his "homies" were getting high, he had to make a decision: either get high and have your life consumed by it, or not get high and keep striving for your goal. Fortunately, he made the right decision in not choosing to get high.
The climax in the story would have to be when they all graduated from college. They've finally reached their goals of becoming doctors, defying all of the odds along the way. Here are three men who've come out of the projects, where most of the people are consumed by gangs, drugs, violence, where very few make it out, and they seem to block out all of these distractions and finally achieve their goals. Dr. Sampson Davis went on to become a doctor in emergency medicine, while Dr. Rameck Hunt became a doctor in internal medicine. Dr. George Jenkins became a dentist, and the three of them, realizing what they just had achieved, had one another to thank. The lesson to be learned is one that everyone should know, and that is that no matter how impossible your dream might seem, if you motivate yourself, and you have people that will support you, you can eventually reach your goal. For these men, they had to overcome a lot of adversity to reach their goals. But since they stayed true to themselves, and followed the pact, they were triumphant.
In my own opinion, I thought that the book was fantastic. I've witnessed first-hand of the people in the ghetto, and this book is so true about people getting caught up in gangs, drugs, etc. It also shows that it doesn't matter where you grew up or what happens around you, as long as you have the motivation, you can achieve anything in life. The book was hard to put down because there were no slow parts. Each chapter had a conflict, along with a life lesson with it, so you can learn from their mistakes. I would recommend this book for teenagers to young adults because this story has a lot of parts in which people in this age group can relate to. We Beat the Street is a book that is definitely worth reading.

Fabulous story about surviving and beating the odds.
I purchased this book as inspiration for my nephew that regardless of what life throws your way, there is a bigger picture and you have unlimited potential and possibilities!
Book arrived in a timely manner, in great condition and fairly priced.