International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. If there s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad s in prison. Life s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav s got everything under control. Until, that is, Maverick finds out he s a father. Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he s different. When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.