Last Summer on State Street: A Coming-of-Age Tale of Friendship and Resilience in 1990s Chicago

Felicia "Fe Fe" Stevens lives with her mother and older brother in building 4950 of Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes during the summer of 1999, when her high-rise is scheduled for demolition by the Chicago Housing Authority. She forms a friendship with Precious Brown and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin. When a mysterious fourth girl, Tonya, joins their group, the dynamics shift dramatically. As their neighborhood is demolished around them, the girls' friendships fracture and their families' structures destabilize. Fe Fe must decide whom to trust and whom to release. Decades later, she reflects on that transformative summer, attempting to understand the grief and complicated bonds that continue to affect her and to reclaim the love that endured. The novel explores connection amid racist institutions, the restorative power of understanding one's past, and the defining relationships that shape our lives. It was a PEN Open Book Award finalist and Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Award winner, and was named a Best Book of Summer by Good Housekeeping, Chicago Magazine, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, Chicago Tribune, Veranda, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Publishers Weekly.