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Street Brotherhood-Rise of the Underground
Street Brotherhood follows Johnny Álvarez, a teenage boy scraping by in 1970s New York City, navigating a dangerous life built on loyalty, survival, and the blurred lines between family and gang. What begins with high school hallways and subway tunnels quickly grows into a tale of ambition and brotherhood. Johnny’s hunger for stability and belonging pushes him into riskier choices, often with consequences that ripple through his crew, the Dogs of War. The book plunges deep into the grit of underground culture, giving us a fast-moving and often unsettling look at what it means to dream of more when the deck is stacked against you.
The writing is raw, sharp, and unapologetic. The dialogue snapped with energy, and the banter between the boys felt real in a way that made me smile even when the situation was grim. At times, the violence was harsh, but it didn’t feel gratuitous. It felt necessary, a reflection of the world these characters had no choice but to inhabit. The author’s pacing kept me on edge, and I often caught myself reading longer than I meant to because I wanted to see what Johnny would do next. There’s also a tenderness in how the author explores Johnny’s hidden vulnerabilities, and that contrast hit me harder than I expected.
I admired Johnny, but he frustrated me, too. His choices were reckless, even selfish, yet I couldn’t help rooting for him. That’s what made the story powerful. It didn’t paint him as a hero, and it didn’t excuse him either. The book forced me to sit with the messy reality of survival, where the lines between right and wrong blur. The scenes with family trauma and manipulation especially got under my skin. They left me angry, unsettled, but also deeply invested. This is the kind of storytelling that sticks with you, because it pokes at uncomfortable truths.
Street Brotherhood is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves gritty coming-of-age tales, stories about loyalty, or New York narratives that don’t romanticize but reveal. It’s tough, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once.
Pages: 343 | ASIN: B0FKKNR19R
So Often Misunderstood
Street follows a twelve-year-old runaway from Miami who ends up in New York City to escape the sadistic abuse of his brother. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story begins at a pivotal point for the protagonist, Johnny: his escape. That felt like the best place to start because it is where life really begins for him. Despite the uncertainty of what lies ahead, things had gotten so bad at home, there was no choice but to risk leaving. In the first pages, you are able to see Johnny’s strength and tenacity.
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
While many of the scenes were not directly pulled from my life, the feelings behind them were very real. I grew up in New York City during that same era, hung out in many of the same locations, and some of my characters are loosely based on, or amalgamations of real people. I have endured abuse, violence, and absentee parenting. I spent my formative years in bars and clubs, had friends who were dealers and addicts, and experimented with all kinds of drugs. Unlike many of my peers, I was able to get away from that lifestyle before it swallowed me. Those experiences have definitely influenced the perspective of this novel, and a lot of my writing in general.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
It was important to point out how abuse robs you of a childhood. Ditto the streets. But sometimes, in the absence of a stable home life, you can form your own family. Because urban street kids are so often misunderstood, I needed to show that these characters are smart, precocious, and driven, and that the bond they have with each other is unshakable.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Right now I am in the revision process for the sequel to Street, and hoping it will be out by the end of this year. I am also drafting a third book in the same series.
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