Beyond Poetry

After witnessing his 10-year-old brother get killed in a crossfire between rival gang members on Philadelphia's north side in August of 1994, Junior and his family relocate to Brooke's Rowe on the south side of town. He tries to cope by making new friends but is rejected by his peers. They mock and humiliate Junior, 14, at school and around his neighborhood. He finds solace in poetry but feels overwhelmed by the complexities of his community. Meanwhile, the police force is conveniently inep...