Uptown Menace : To Hell and Back

by Noboa-espinal, Carmen

• ISBN13: 9780595399789
• ISBN10: 0595399789
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-30
• Publisher: Iuniverse Inc

Summary

In the gritty novelUptown Menace, a young Latino girl?s inner strength helps her to confront the fear and heartache she finds on the streets of New York City. Author Carmen Noboa-Espinal tells a fascinating tale of survival among the gangs and crime present within a turbulent urban landscape. In an act that will change her life forever, teenager Jenny Rivera goes to an apartment in Yonkers with her boyfriend and rival gang member, Vincent. While playing with a gun, a frenzied Vincent accidentally shoots Jenny. As she lies on the floor in a pool of blood, Jenny loses consciousness and revisits the events that have led her to this tragic turning point. As a young girl, Jenny is drawn into a dangerous neighborhood where crime provides the only means with which to stay alive. Problems at home only hasten her descent into corruption. Jenny?s mother abuses drugs, and her father has long-since abandoned the family. With few other options available, Jenny single-handedly provides for her younger siblings by succumbing to the vices of street life in the ghetto. Jenny?s own inherent desires to survive and to be loved are so powerful that they have the potential to destroy her. Is it too late for her to escape this treacherous path to self-destruction?