Street Pharm

The book that I chose to do is Street Pharm by Allison van Diepen, the book has 297 pages, the reason I chose this book is personally I am tired novels taking place years before I am born. This novel pertains to urban problems and one kids' attempt to survive in the pressures of present day Brooklyn. Within the novel, there are several subplots, one being his love interest, Alyse, and Ty's fight to stay in school. As well as, his fight not to lose money or control of his territory. It is interesting to watch this young man, balance these things in his life and not let them interfere with each other. Ty Johnson has learned business from his father he knows how to survive in the real world, to take care of problems on the spot. He has everything in control and knows the way to run things. He is intelligent, patient, and skillful, everything he needs when he inherited his father's business. Ty recently got kicked out of the conventional high school, and is attending an alternative school where if he cuts class without a doctor's note, he may be expelled. School becomes better for him as he meets a girl named Alyse, they begin studying together, and Ty actually does well in his classes. After being friends with Alyse, Ty asks her out on a date. They end up going to a very high-end restaurant that Ty insists on going to, just because the food was worth it. He has a lot of money through his business, but he is never arrogant or flashy about it. He just dresses in expensive clothes because, "'A man is only as good as his first impression'". Throughout this daily routine we see how disciplined he is, he follows ideas from ancient samurai texts, like how to handle an enemy. Ty has learned many things from his father, like any distraction such as a spouse or girlfriend is very hard to handle, while having to look over your shoulder all the time. Even though his business is shady, he still seems to rationalize with the reader. "Having a gun wasn't gonna