Edgewater Angels — Sandro Meallet

Set in the projects of Los Angeles, California, Edgewater Angels chronicles the adolescence of Sunny Toomer, a streetwise young man endlessly sandwiched between the right and wrong thing to do. In a neighborhood where an absentminded stare might be mistaken for a silent challenge for turf, and asking someone if they have a problem may cost you your life, Sunny ekes out survival amidst an incomparable cast of characters, including a husbandless mother, violence-prone uncles, and a cadre of strangely endearing men either headed for jail or out on parole. Written in original riff-like prose, Meallet gives us a unique story that is serious yet playful, daring in aim, and absolutely captivating.