Such a powerful book! The poetry is absolutely beautiful and even the paragraphs that are written have a flow to them that I can't quite define. It's not very happy, but it's real and feels authentic. The author grew up in foster care and we get to experience her journey through verse and the way this is written feels like any other method would ring hollow. Highly recommend.

The poetic memoir of a mixed-race foster child, who grew up in Harlem. She cries for all of the children killed by violence and those who grew up without love. She was lucky to be found by a mother that loved and taught her how to love. She finds beauty in the world and in people, and she reminds us to support each other and lift others up.

Concrete Kids by Amyra Leon is a small book but packs a powerful punch. In what can best be described as a poetic memoir, Leon tells her life story growing up as a mixed-race foster child in Harlem. The entire book is a love letter to the kids like her, the "Concrete Kids" who were born and raised in the toughest of circumstances. Through what she sees and experiences, she gives voice to so many of the hopes, dreams, and fears of the people that society is quick to write off. She celebrates the lives cut short by violence and speaks their names and stories so they will not be forgotten. And while she could easily spend the whole book steeped in pity in sadness, the book leaves readers with a profound sense of hope.
This book does touch on a lot of really difficult topics- Leon is not afraid to paint a realistic picture of the lives of Concrete Kids, touching on gun violence, abuse, neglect, and death. But it is through these trials that she finds her strength, and despite these hardships that she is able to grow and give voice to the voiceless. Concrete Kids break your heart, but at the same time will fill you with hope that it will get better. ( )