A Street Girl Named Desire

Blue, T. E. (2007). A street girl named Desire: A novel. New York: Ballantine Books.

ISBN: 9780345493286 | paperback | 319 p. | $13.95 USD

Annotation:  Born on the street to a drug addicted mother, Desire works to overcome the hardships she is dealt.  She longs to end up somewhere other than the rough Harlem streets, but struggles against her past and old habits that continue to haunt her. 

Cover image courtesy of goodreads.com

Book Talk:
Desire…

• Is born to a drug addicted mother literally on the snowy street

• Her inheritance is multi-generational addiction

• Is like the razor blade she keeps in her mouth; she develops a demeanor that defends and protects her from others in her foster home life

• Eventually opens up and finds hope in the kindness of Hattie Mae

• Goes from singer in the church choir to signing a record deal

• Begins chasing her dream but discovers nightmares instead

• Can she find the strength in herself and others to achieve redemption or will she be unable to escape the cycle of self-destruction that has plagued her family for the past two generations?

My favorite thing about the book:

There is a sense of hope present throughout the book even among the most despairing moments.   

First Sentence:

“This is the story of a girl who should have died the minute she was born, who was famous hours after she was born, who had to die and be born again countless times before she finally learned how to live.”

Favorite character:

Hattie Mae

Awards/Honors:

None to date

Learn More: 

Follow the book’s author, Treasure E. Blue, on Twitter.

Listen to Treasure discuss his writing and books Harlem Girl Lost and A Street Girl Named Desire.