We Beat the Street: How A Friendship Pact Led to Success

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2005

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We Beat the Street

Genre: Nonfiction; autobiography; young adult
Originally Published: 2005
Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 860L; grades 5-9
Structure/Length: 26 chapters; approximately 194 pages
Central Concern: The book tells the real-life story of three young men—Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt—who made a pact in high school to find a way out of their neighborhood and go to college, then medical school. Throughout the book, they share the challenges they faced and how their friendship helped them succeed.
Potential Sensitivity Issues: Depictions of violence and crime; drug use; poverty; strong language

Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Sharon M. Draper, Authors

Bio: Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt: born in the early 1970s; grew up in Newark, New Jersey; all became doctors; co-founders of The Three Doctors Foundation, a non-profit organization
Sharon M. Draper: Born 1948; professional educator and award-winning writer; served as National Teacher of the Year; known for her work in children's literature
Other Works: By Davis, Jenkins, and Hunt: The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream (2002); The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers (2007); by Draper: Tears of a Tiger (1994); Out of My Mind (2010)
Awards: Five Coretta Scott King Book Awards