We Beat the Street by Sharon M. Draper

     We Beat the Street by Sharon M. Draper is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend! Whether you enjoy learning about following your dreams or facing adversity, this work of literature would truly captivate your interest rather quickly! Growing up in the inner city myself, I was able to identify with not only the central themes of this book, but the backgrounds that created roadblocks for the Three Doctors. One part of the book that stuck with me, can be found on page 131: "No one had ever given them permission to dream so large or to visualize the possibility of success."  This quote resonated with me for several  reasons. The first being that a lot of my peers growing up quickly shot down the possibility of going off to college and achieving their dreams; simply because it was not the norm for them.  I can name a handful of people who looked at me as if I was crazy in high school, when I stated that I intended on going to college in order to become a teacher.

It seemed as though this was something unusual or unobtainable for so many of my classmates. Not because they did not have what it takes to go to college, but because it was not an idea that was placed in their head as being achievable. Like many of my classmates growing up, Rameck, George and Sampson believed that college was a far-fetched dream. Yet, it is important to realize that although this may seem unrealistic, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take a risk. I really enjoyed reading about The Three Doctors journey and the events in their life which shaped who they are today. I admire their decision to work in the community that they grew up in. This is something that has always been a dream of mine. As a graduate of the RCSD, I would love nothing more than to give back to my community and make a difference in the lives of children; as so many teachers had done for me in the past. 

        In relation to the content of this book, I think that including reflections from the Three Doctors after every chapter was a wonderful idea. Not only did it allow them to reflect on the events in their lives that occurred so long ago, but it gave me as a reader a better understanding of who they were as individuals. Reading the reflections also made them more relatable, in the sense that they understood that some of the things they did growing up could and should have been done differently. Obviously they were not perfect and did not make the best decisions as teenager. I think its admirable to see how they each reflect on their lives and make note of how such subtle events can make the more tremendous impacts.