Nowhere to Run by Claire J. Griffin (review)

Calvin is not going to let his rough neighborhood bring him down. At the dawn of senior year, he has reliable part-time work, is positioned to graduate, is favored to win the track championship, and is so smitten with the parochial-school beauty, Junior, that he’s even willing to abide by her protective father’s strict dating rules. But Calvin’s also devoted to his hard-working mother, who owns a nail salon, and loyal to his best friend, Deej, admirable traits that land him square in the sight of Norris, local crime kingpin and cousin to Deej. When Calvin approaches Norris to demand he leave his mother’s shop out of his “protection” ring, Deej steps in to convince his thug cousin not to pound his buddy into the dust. The price, though, is painfully high—Norris now “owns” Calvin’s knees and insists that he throw the championship track meet come spring. In the months that stretch ahead, Deej comes ever more under Norris’s influence, and he pulls Calvin into the periphery of Norris’s illegal operations, forcing a confrontation with the police and ultimately costing Calvin his job and girlfriend. The harder Calvin tries to distance himself from the operation, the tighter Norris pulls the noose, threatening to punish Deej if Calvin fails to deliver the loss on the track. This is a solid, gritty tale of African-American youth that combines sympathy with serious urban edge. The last-second, high-road resolution is somewhat abrupt and not entirely convincing, but it’s the extraordinary tension surrounding a good kid up against bad odds that easily trumps the questionable ending. Slim, taut, and powerful, this is a strong choice for a YA quick pick.