Street Love

The opening section of Street Love introduces key characters and their conflicts. Readers are immediately positioned to side with Damien Battle when he is labeled the novel’s “hero” (2): He is fittingly portrayed as careful and mature in his thinking when taunted by rival Sledge. He also has a streetwise sense about him, speaking to his best friend Kevin in a manner that parallels hip-hop—reinforced by the novel’s use of Poetry’s Expressive Power through verse. In this way, the privileged Damien manages to interact with people from various backgrounds. This privilege is key to the novel’s conflict: Damien worked hard for his academic success and was accepted into a prestigious college, but is uncertain if his parents’ dream for him is what he wants. He, like other characters, lives in Harlem and is keenly aware that he is unlike most residents who face economic hardship. Thus, the young man feels suffocated by his parents and ashamed of his privilege. Damien’s conflict over familial loyalty parallels that of the titular Romeo of William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet—establishing the theme of Family Legacy.

Junice Ambers’s life contrasts with Damien’s: As the novel opens, her mother, Leslie, has just been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Junice despairs over the verdict, this emotion (and her economic hardship) being framed as a Family Legacy. In her monologues, she defends her mother, insisting she was forced to sell drugs to care for her daughters. Overall, she paints Leslie as a selfless person whose actions are justified—which, like Damien, speaks to familial loyalty. Leslie’s incarceration places a great burden on Junice, who must now care for her 10-year-old sister Melissa, who herself doesn’t fully understand the gravity of their situation. The sisters are at risk of being placed in foster care should their grandmother, Ruby, be deemed an unsuitable guardian. However, Junice is determined to care for the vulnerable Melissa and the easily confused Ruby. With this in mind, she is keenly aware, when approached by Damien, of their difference in socioeconomic class and priorities. She cannot understand why he is interested in her and is certain that he will lose interest upon witnessing her struggles. This negative mindset is a debilitating effect of financial struggles, as Junice has many positive traits, but the social stigma of poverty buries them.

The novel’s poetic storytelling mirrors Romeo and Juliet, but unlike the play, which heavily relies on meter, Street Love uses free verse. This, coupled with the characters’ casual, hip-hop-like diction, is fitting for a modern adaptation of the play. Furthermore, the novel’s structure mirrors that of Romeo and Juliet: Both narratives open with a fight between rivals (Damien and Sledge mirror the Montagues and Capulets’ respective servants), and Damien is revealed to have had a former love interest named Roxanne (mirroring Romeo’s initial interest in Juliet’s cousin Rosaline). Likewise, the supermarket scene mirrors Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting at a masquerade ball, with Kevin acting as a mix of Damien’s Benvolio (Romeo’s thoughtful cousin) and Mercutio (Romeo’s emotional best friend). Overall, these parallels reinforce Damien and Junice’s “fated” Forbidden Love, as Damien himself voices an inexplicable interest in Junice, as if they were meant to be. His polite pursuit is fitting for a “hero,” and will be put to the test as his love interest prioritizes keeping her family together.