Third and Indiana: A Novel by Steve Lopez

by Steve López

Set in Philadelphia's badlands, where drug gangs rule the streets, this debut novel has the explosive authenticity, the narrative drive, and the tender passion to knock you out of your seat! Fourteen-year-old Gabriel's father skipped two years ago. Now his mother, Ofelia, is searching for her runaway son, riding her bicycle at night through the city's darkest, most violent stretch. The pavement beneath her is mysteriously painted with chalk outlines of bodies. Each time a child is killed, another white outline appears. While Ofelia tries to outrun a vision of her son's death, her son tries to outrun the neighborhood, taking cover with a drifter; but Gabriel is already trapped, at the mercy of Diablo, the ugliest of the dealers, a man who kills for fun.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, School, Crime, Book Club, Drugs

Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Steven M. López (born 1953) is an American journalist who has been a columnist for The Los Ángeles Times since 2001. He is the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants.

(wikipedia)

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read, and not the most literary novel ever. However, for my teacher-friends, this is a very good book to use in a high-school or freshmen college-English class. Lots of good "issues" that can inspire argument papers from your students. In addition, there are many symbols and characters with parallel connections that can be easily seen and interpreted if your students are learning how to do literary analysis. I actually taught this book with "Like Water for Chocolate" and had my students write papers on single-motherhood; they actually did a nice job. Lastly, if you're from Philadelphia or a surrounding area, this novel is meaningful in a geographic way. You'll know a lot of the references and landmarks.

[Ryan Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s sad but gabe pulls

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so hard to read. The story was good..characters complex, interesting & likeable (except when they weren't), the area so well defined both its past and it's present...and the writing...perfectly paced, honest, poetic. But because of the truth in the writing, it was hard to read. The foreshadowing, the realism, the undertones made me catch my breath. I dreaded the obvious, I felt the tension....I just didn't want to live in that neighborhood...I didn't even want to visit. And I didn't want them to be there either.
These people, that area, will stay with me for a long time.
I work with an Hispanic college in Philadelphia and this is required reading for their Freshman English class. As manager of the bookstore, I often read assigned books...just out of curiosity about why they would be poignant to those students.
I'm sure this serves as a warning to some....a biography of others.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How has this book not gotten more attention!? The way Lopez creates a cast of deeply complex characters and ties them together through Gabriel is amazing. From beginning to end I couldn’t put the book down. For the thousands of people that read “The Hate U Give,” you need to read this too. It’s like the better and deeper version, but not as school friendly. So glad I finally followed up on this recommendation from my mom a few years ago!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a native Philadelphian, I take pride in any novel that takes place in the City of Brotherly Love. This book is no different in that endeavor. Lopez, a former writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, aims at the persistent and horrific opioid crisis that has wrought the neighborhood of Kensington for decades. A heart-wrenching and gut-punching story, Third and Indiana follows the story of a young teenager named Gabriel who gets caught up in the drug trade and follows his story as one of a story of near-redemption, with the help of his mother, a deadbeat guitarist, and a naive priest thrust into the heart of Philly’s most dangerous neighborhood. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt as though the characters were well-fleshed out and there was a synergy amongst the various storylines throughout, all of which overlap with Gabriel, our protagonist. The only reason this earned a 3-star review is due to the needless graphic sex scenes (some of which involve underage teens), as well as lazy writing in the last third of the book. Though, all in all, I invite anyone interested in a fictional rendition of the city’s opioid crisis to read this book. 

[Bill Jalbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had me crying at the conclusion.

Being a Philadelphia resident for half of my life, I embraced the characters, as they remind me of many I've met, worked with, and encountered.

Reading this 30 years after its publication, it's sad to recognize Kenzo (Kensington) hasn't improved at all. The boundaries have shifted, due to gentrification,and Crack has been replaced by Fentanyl. Our new mayor intends to clean it up - may the Force be with them.

Anyway, a good read, likable characters, compelling storyline. I was hoping there was some redemption/closure at the finish. It's hinted at, and I actually like those dangling "what if?" threads.

Good book. Recommend reading.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who lives or has lived in Philly. If it isn't already, I think it should be a required read in the Phila School system. It is raw, it is real, it is Philly. 3rd-an-Indi (as the locals would say it) is phenomenal. Born and raised in the "badlands" myself, this book struck every childhood memory of walking the streets, hearing "agua- agua", the shuffle and fast moving bodies, without a care. No fear. Another day in North Philly. Even ducking a few bullets myself on 4th and Indiana, this book was written by someone who knows. Someone who saw. Someone who knew that on the other side of City Hall, with its fancy shops and restaurants, there's a neighborhood crying for help- and still is. Bravo Mr. Lopez.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in undergrad in preparation for an internship where I worked with middle school kids from at risk schools in Philadelphia. Majority of the kids in fact lived at Third and Indiana, an area well known for being the "badlands" of Philly. This book is sad but important. It truly had opened my eyes to the daily struggles and perspectives of the area and indeed helped me connect with the children I was working with. I would say if you work with kids, especially from low income families then this is a must read.

[mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very Philadelphia novel set during the crack epidemic. Story of a young man in North Philly as he gets caught up in the drug trade - could have passed as a story line from The Wire. As someone who recently moved to Philly it was interesting to read about what these neighborhoods were like - some haven't changed much, others are now hipster central.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is achingly beautiful, masterful. Sad is clearly on the way.

Finished.

Tender yet brutal. Innocence consorts with damnation. Lovely lovely writing. I hope Steve Lopez has written more fiction since this 90s publication.

[Frank Shafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third and Indiana by Steve Lopez was a heartbreaking book. It was about three main characters, Gabriel, Ofelia, and Eddie living in Philadelphia. Gabriel is Ofelia’s son who recently ran away from home, and leaves Ofelia desperately searching for him over almost two months. Eddie, who had recently moved to Kensington after a separation from his wife and kids, is at one of the lowest points of his life when suddenly Gabriel shows up on his doorstep and pleads with Eddie to let him stay with him. The book is told through the perspective of the three main characters. It explores the harsh realities of living in the rough parts of Philadelphia, while also teaching lessons about loyalty and being yourself.
In English class in 2024, we will be looking at how literature acts as both a mirror, reflecting on ourselves, our lives, and our attitudes, and as a window, providing a view of the world, other people, other places, and other conflicts. This book for me was mostly a window. Let me explain: Growing up in a suburb just outside of Philadelphia has often made me think about what my life would be like if I were born into a family that lived just twenty minutes away from me in Philadelphia. I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in a town as nice as Media, where there is little to no crime, especially not shootings or gang violence. Reading Third and Indiana showed me a perspective I had often thought about, but never fully understood. It touched on the pressure many kids feel to join gangs, seeking a sense of brotherhood, as well as kids being desperate to support their families and bring in money for them. Gabriel is no exception. It shows how someone with such a bright mind like Gabriel, who loved creating artwork and was a great son to his mother can go down such a dark path so quickly. It started with cutting school and quickly transformed into him working corners for a drug lord, and sadly with enough time leading to his death. It made me think about how even though this is not a true story, it happens not only in Philadelphia but so many other cities around the country. It is so unfortunate to think about how if these kids were born and raised in a different part of the country, or even just the next town over, their lives could be completely different than how they ended up. I think that everybody has the potential to be great at something, whether it's academically, artistically, athletically, or one of the many other options they can pursue, and Third and Indiana showed how so many kids with a whole life of potential ahead of them have their lives taken away because of the extreme gun violence in America. Overall, Third and Indiana showed an extremely unique perspective of how so many people live in America, which hit especially hard because of growing up near Philadelphia.
Reflecting on this book, my biggest takeaway would be that you should follow your path and that it's fine to be different from everyone else, even if it initially feels wrong.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up maybe a year or two after it came out in 1994 and for whatever reason, it's sat unread on my shelves since then. Took a trip to Philadelphia recently and remembered that this book is set there and finally gave it a chance. It's set mostly in the Kensington neighborhood of north Philadelphia (aka the Badlands), where 14-year-old Gabriel is drifting in the crack trade at the titular intersection. Meanwhile, middle-aged Eddie from Italian South Philly has left his family for an ill-fated affair and finds himself alone in an unfurnished slum townhouse. When Gabriel runs away from home, he and Eddie connect while Gabriel's mom Ophelia bikes the streets at night trying to find him, and makes friends with a disillusioned Catholic priest.

The ugly portrait of drug-ravaged city blocks filled with violence of hopelessness is pretty stark. The desperation is real, with characters stuck in hourly wage jobs with no way to get out or up, and children dying from violence every day. Layered on top of the realism are themes of religion, corruption, the power of art, and racism, and while the characters all come across as real and complex, at times the writing gets a little too precious and the overall effect is a little melodramatic. Some thirty years on, the book is worth reading by anyone seeking a window onto crack-ravaged cities of the 1980s and 90s.

[laith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was a beautiful simple book about unaccomplishments and a sense of unfullfillment.
Eddie and Ofelia's unfullfillment in their relationships.
Gabriel had a sense of unfullfillment that came with his lack of direction in life after his father had left.
When I mean simple, I really to do think the book's prose and storyline was simple and the characters are in deficient of depth which I actually sometimes enjoyed. It's more realisitic that way, I don't necessarily understand every character.

But some characters were just plain shallow.
I think with the villians of the story the lack of depth of the characters failed. I understood that Thin Jimmy and Diablo were villians, that much was clear, but no one is just pure evil. I would have enjoyed it more if I had been forced by the author to emphaise with the villians of the book.
Furthermore, Ofelia's writing on the wall, the secret artist's drawings of the children's bodies and Eddie's relationship with music were not explored as much as I would have liked. It would have been so much more interesting if the characters' mental anguish were explored more.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even give this an honest review because I only read 7 chapters and the last page. I was bored from the get go...the first chapter was alright, almost weirdly poetic with this mom riding her bike around the streets of the ghetto looking for her son. But then it jumps into some random dude cheating on his wife, whos going to move in with his gf and has to borrow some gangster's truck. What? How do these 2 storylines connect? Well I shall never know I guess. Because in the 7 chapters I read the only thing that connected the 2 we3re the fact that Gabriel (the kid) is the one who finds the cheaters chair when he has it all fly out on the highway. This book seemed sad and depressing from what I did read. And I don't think it's solely because I read a lot of teen novels or because I read a lot of fantasy...I have read other things and enjoyed them, but this...I just couldn't do.

[Liam Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly bleak but developed dive into Kensington and its surrounding Philadelphia neighborhoods act as the foundation for Lopez’s novel.
He does well not to use the (putting it mildly) below average conditions experienced by its characters as just literary fodder, but as a springboard into broader universal topics.
More than anything the dynamics in many, often familial, relationships both platonic and romantic.

Almost deducted a star for a small but apparent sample size of somewhat romanticizing abuse by police. But as a Philly native I’ll leave it for the highly entertaining Rizzo parody 😌

[Gretchen · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not get attached to the characters bc this storyline was meh and the writing was meh. I liked the idea of it, but just too unrealistic for a realistic fiction book.

Favorite quote:
“He tells the guy to forget the conventional idea of who god is and where he is and all that bullshit. What you can do, he says, is pray to something inside yourself instead of outside, because maybe that’s what god is. It’s your sense of right and wrong, good and bad, all that. It’s your conscience. It’s inside you instead of up in the clouds. I mean there might be a god up there somewhere, but the way you get to it is through yourself.

[Shana Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, a lot of vivid Philadelphia scenes, and a lot of tragedy. I appreciated the fast-paced action. While so many of the cultural references are still accurate, as far as I know “the Badlands” aren’t like this anymore. And Philly politics is not this corrupt. And Philly police aren’t thugs.

[Grace Kedanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought it was ok. nothing too crazy
i did really like how ofelia was written but she could have been developed a little more
i hates eddie so much such a pointless stupid characters
i didn’t really like how it would go from beautiful poetic writing to lazy boring stuff
last page made me cry so much

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read in 2006, review from 2023)

Read I think for 8th Grade English. I thought it was okay, some of the subplots were better than others and as a Philadelphia native I appreciated the book was set in the city. That said I didn't really care too much about some of the main characters and ultimately thought there were better books I read in middle school English.

[Nancy M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking without hope. It was difficult to read. I will also never forget it. I grew up less than a mile from the intersection that gives this book it’s title. When Gabriel walked around his neighborhood, I knew exactly where he was. Maybe that is why I had such a hard time reading it?

[Gavin Doerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transports you to the badlands, tackles poverty, abuse and economic opportunities well. Somehow makes all of those things fun and almost childless, fucked up in itself. Would make a great coming of age movie…. Oh wait, that’s messed up. Shows the cruelty of the inner city and leaves you empathetic and angry for those impoverished

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

took me a bit to get into this but ended up really liking it. I only started reading it because my husband grew up in that area. he did confirm a lot of the stuff that went on which is crazy to me, being a white girl from the midwest. the story kept me interested and had some needed humor.

[Katie Bodden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my typical type of book, but I found this interesting all the same. I like how the lives are mixed together. It's sad and depressing, but has some high points. Definitely true to life for sure.

[Dan Rosenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting and intimate look at teenage life in a proud city plagued by gun violence. Essential for understanding Philadelphia.

[David Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, lyrical, vibrant prose from one of the world's great writers. First read this nearly 25 years ago and it's lost none of its charm, wit and humanity.

[Justin Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself was pretty good. the setting changes a lot but i'll give it a solid 4 stars.

[Makayla McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful and heartbreaking. I recommend it to literally everyone.

[Raven Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow to start but it really picks up about 50 pages in. Emotional and a good read especially if you’re a Philly native.

[Aditya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast-paced and thought-provoking, keeps you reading and interested