Street Love

Published in 2006, Street Love is a middle grade novel in verse by Walter Dean Myers, a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Teenagers Damien Battle and Junice Ambers both live in Harlem, New York but come from differing socioeconomic classes. While Damien has been accepted into Brown University, Junice struggles to care for her younger sister and grandmother in light of her mother’s recent incarceration. Through free verse poetry, Myers delves into the challenges of forbidden love and economic disparity.

Having grown up in Harlem, Myers served in the US Army and was later inspired to write about the African American experience in urban settings by writer James Baldwin. His first novel Where Does the Day Go (1969) was awarded the Council on Interracial Books for Children’s Prize. He went on to write and publish more than 100 fiction and nonfiction books for children, adolescents, and young adults. Overall, Myers won three National Book Award nominations, two Newberry Honor awards, the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, a Hans Christian Anderson Award nomination, and the Michael L. Printz award. He died in 2014 at the age of 76 (Walter Dean Myers).

The guide references the 2006 hardcover edition of the Amistad Harper Tempest imprint of Harper Collins.

Content Warning: This guide describes and analyzes the source text’s treatment of racism and also replicates a slur against Romani people that features in Street Love.

Plot Summary

In Harlem, Black teenagers Damien and Kevin meet their rivals, Sledge and Chico, as they leave school one afternoon. Sledge taunts Damien, goading him to accept a basketball challenge. Damien shrugs him off, telling Kevin that Sledge is merely frustrated by his impoverished life. He then confides in Kevin about a new love interest. Kevin asks about Roxanne, Damien’s former love interest, but Damien insists this new girl is superior. He voices frustration over his parents’ desire for him to attend college, achieve a career, marry, and have children. He himself wants to help the less fortunate in Harlem.

Damien’s new love interest is Junice, a Black girl who attends his school. Junice’s mother, Leslie, has recently been convicted of drug possession and distribution, and sentenced to a 25-year prison term. Junice recalls the horror of hearing the sentence. Though her grandmother, Ruby, tries to assure her that her mother will return soon, Junice knows the future will be challenging. She and her younger sister, Melissa, live with Ruby, but Ruby is easily confused and thus ill-equipped to care for them. Despite this, Junice is determined to keep her family together.

A few days after the incident with Sledge, Damien sits on a bench at school, waiting to speak with the principal. Junice is there too, and she congratulates him on his acceptance into Brown University. While the principal commends Damien for his academic success, he expresses concern for Junice’s numerous absences. When she exits, Damien invites her on a coffee date. She declines, but he asks if he could call her instead. Days later, Damien and Kevin see Junice from afar at the supermarket. Damien is certain he is in love. Junice ponders him, certain that if he knew about her circumstances, he would lose interest. Later, she prepares for a visit by a social worker named Rachel Davis. She coaches Melissa on what to say, determined to convince Ms. Davis that their grandmother Ruby is well-equipped to care for them. Ms. Davis reviews Ruby’s record, discovering that she, too, has been convicted of felonies.

Damien continues to think about Junice, while his former love interest Roxanne makes racially insensitive comments about her. He finally calls Junice and invites her to a school dance. She insists she must babysit her sister on the night of the dance, but agrees to a coffee date. She brings Melissa with her on the date, and Damien enjoys both of their company. Junice cautiously invites him to visit her house on the night of the dance. When the night arrives, the pair talk and share a hug before Damien leaves.

Junice visits her imprisoned mother Leslie, who is upset that Junice has not found a way to free her. She begs for money and a lawyer. Junice leaves, frustrated, but later tells Melissa that their mother said kind things about her. Meanwhile, Damien’s mother and Kevin caution him against pursuing Junice. Damien and Junice continue to speak on the phone, and he can tell something is wrong.

The Department of Social Services decides to place Junice and Melissa in foster care. Social worker Rachel Davis says she will try to place the sisters together but cannot guarantee it. Later, Damien bumps into Sledge on the street, who accuses Junice of engaging in sex work. The two fight, and Sledge injures Damien with a knife. Later, Damien confronts Junice about Sledge’s accusation; she does not deny it, but stresses that Damien doesn’t know what it’s like to live such a disadvantaged life.

When Kevin and Damien next meet, Kevin is relieved Damien is alive and reveals that Junice and Melissa ran away to Memphis, Tennessee where a distant relative supposedly lives. Damien gathers all of his money and heads to the bus station that night. There, he finds Junice and Melissa and explains he wants to join them. Junice protests, but they ride the bus together and she gains a sense of peace.