There Goes The Neighborhood

Juvenile fiction 

"Aight, so I know how it looks--bad--but I can tell you for damn sure that we didn't do it.  Everyone thinks the gang did it, which I guess makes sense giving that gangs tend to have a reputation for stuff like this, but I know for a fact that it wasn't the gang is fake.  I made it up."

     I don't know about you, but talented new author Jade Adia had me hooked on her There Goes The Neighborhood with that very first paragraph.  She followed through on the promise of that paragraph beautifully.  She made a modern day evil--gentrification--the focus of a suspenseful and engaging novel with beautifully crafted characters.  If you're anything like me and you pick up the book you're going to find it very hard to put down.  And you'll hate it when the story ends.  The characters are so real you'll want to know what happens to them next.  It's that kind of excellent.

     Rhea is seeing her Los Angeles neighborhood changing all too quickly, and not for the better.  The unique stores that have been cornerstones of her community are closing and being replaced by the kind of soulless establishments favored by the rich white hipster crowd...

     ...and it isn't only stores that are being replaced.  For much of Rhea's life her disillusioned mom has been MIA.  Her best friends, Zeke and Malachi, have been the cornerstone of her found family.  Now Vic, the slumlord of the apartment building Zeke's family lives in bumps up the rent by an unaffordable 60%.  The building is about to be renovated to house richer, whiter tenants.  

     "I clench my fists until the knuckles crack.  Our crew is not falling apart.  Not like this, not on my watch, not ever.

     We have to stop him."

     Rhea knows that the invasive species, the rich whites seeking affordable housing in vibrant neighborhoods made over for their convenience, fear the original inhabitants of color, associating them with violence and crime.  Maybe if they detect a strong gang presence they'll question their new choice of habitat. 

     "Holy shit.  That's it.  I can picture it clearly: Duos of young white women with quirky bumblebee tattoos and pre-distressed denim jackets hear shots.  They pack up their collection of succulents and stockpiled boxes of LaCroix faster than you can say 'home-brew kombucha.'  They email their landlords as they flee to the Westside, stating that they will no longer continue renting in a neighborhood with so much...action."

     At first the fake gang seems to be working. It's blowing up on social media.  Rich whites seem to be getting the message...

     ...then Vic is found dead and the nonexistent gang becomes suspect numerous uno.  The cops know that even if the perp is white it will be so much easier to convict teens of color.

     "If you haven't realized it by now, here's my not-so-hot take: gentrification sucks.

     It sucks because communities of color are the culture bearers of many cities, yet we are currently facing the threat of displacement.

     It sucks because gentrification undervalues and discredits this cultural labor while exploiting and promoting its product.  

     It sucks because it destabilizes the fragile ecosystems of human connection that not only make diverse neighborhoods so special, but also make life worth living."

     Adia lives in one such neighborhood.  She knows from personal experience the challenges long-term residents of color face.  In There Goes The Neighborhood she seeks to humanize victims of gentrification while celebrating resistance.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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