Street Dreams

by K'wan

Love, Betrayal and Loyalty on the Streets of Harlem

Daruis, a.k.a. Rio, the only child of a singer turned alcoholic, feels he has nothing to hold on to except the idea of escaping the ghetto. Years ago, he took a gun charge for a friend and did some prison time. Unable to find a job when he gets out, Rio turns to hustling as a way out. In the meantime, Rio finds escape in the arms of his soulmate, Trinity.

When Trinity's mother died, her abusive father looks to her to play the role of house wife and bedmate. Trinity finds strength to endure in Rio's arms. Together they vow to do whatever it takes to make it out of the ghetto. But soon they find their backs against the wall when the streets come to claim their due.

Genres: Urban, Audiobook, African American

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

In 2002 K'wan hit the scene with his debut novel Gangsta, under Triple Crown Publications. It was the first novel released by the budding house and would eventually become the building block for what is now a multimillion dollar company. What started as a therapeutic release went on to become a part of urban-lit history and an Essence bestseller, as well as drawing rave reviews overseas.
After penning his second novel, Road Dawgz (2003), K'wan drew the attention of St. Martins press. The literary powerhouse quickly signed K'wan to a multi-book deal, the first of which being Street Dreams (2004). In 2008 he received the Black Author of the year award from Black Press Radio for the novella Blow.
Since his insertion into the publishing world K'wan has been featured in Vibe, Pages, King, Felon, Big News, The Library Journal, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Press, Clutch and most notably Time Magazine, to name a few. He was also interviewed by MTV News for a feature on Hip-Hop fiction, and a guest on Power 105s morning show as well as NPR (national public radio). In addition to being an accomplished author, K'wan is also a motivational speaker, mentor to at risk children and the C.E.O of Black Dawn, Inc.
K'wan currently resides in New Jersey where he is working on his next novel.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/kwan

Reviews

[Demetrius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, this shit was sad.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this being my first full-fledged introduction to the writing of K'wan, I chose to take my time in reading this novel.

Needless to say, it was well worth the wait.

K'wan takes you deep inside the streets featuring the lives of Darius "Rio" Santana, his lady Trinity and a cast of characters that are loyal, or so one thinks. Trying to find a legitimate job seemed to be a dead end for the smart man hustling drugs part time, until the opportunity of a lifetime lands in his lap.

Just when things look up for Rio to get his life together, things take an interesting turn. Money, power, lies, deceit and usefulness all come into play as the pages get turned. K'wan has a way of entangling the reader just enough to evoke certain emotions through the characters activities. That in itself earns my stamp of approval with his level of writing.

It's one thing to write a novel with purpose. K'wan Foye writes a novel and leaves you impressed with the story, it's meaning and full blown reckoning tied together ever so smartly.

Thank you for enlightening my year with your work!

[Carol Hornsby-mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams don't always come true! How we set out to conquer them is the ultimate goal we must strive to achieve. Nothing in life comes free and one bad deed can shatter everything. If you learn nothing else, learn not to stray from your original plan. No matter how much you love someone, sometimes the greatest love is to walk away and let the past stay in the past. Start today as the first day of your new beginning. I enjoyed this book.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't even know how to rate this book. The story was good, even though it really didn't make any sense, but it pissed me off so bad. This book got me mad.

First of all, Rio is a part time drug dealer who clearly wants nothing to do with the game. He was in jail for a year and now is having a hard time finding work. So the first stupid fucking thing is that we find out Rio caught a gun charge for somebody who would have gotten the book thrown at him if he himself had been caught with the gun. So Rio went to jail on a felony gun charge for a gun that wasn't his.

Prince said Rio ain't ask him for nothing while he was locked up, and that he shouldn't have because he made the choice to take the charge, but that he was a stand up dude with honor because he didn't snitch on the dude he took the charge for or on Prince's organization. Then, Rio comes out of jail, and he's nickel and diming it because nobody will hire a felon (don't fucking get me started on that shit).

So now he's selling drugs because that's the only way he can get any type of money better than McDonalds money, but he wants to work a regular job. He has an associates in computer science and wants to finish his degree.

Prince wants to put him on forreal. And that's where shit get stupid. Rio is a good guy, he stays out of trouble, he's loyal and he's not scared, but he ain't no gangsta. Why would a gangsta ass nigga like Prince not know the difference between someone who is a good earner and has heart, and a person who was actually built for the life Prince wants him to throw himself into? That just seemed stupid to me.

Rio continues to turn Prince down, determined to work his plan to get a job, finish his degree, and live happily ever after with his boo, Trinity. Until he finds out Trinity's disgusting father has been raping her for years . He goes out to "whoop his ass", because even though though this dude got his toe in the streets and see how shit goes, he really thinks he can get away with not taking a life. Everybody thinks he's a bitch ass nigga just because he has a calm demeanor for the most part and thinks before he does things. So they try him. And he let's them, concluding that certain shit ain't worth the energy. But when it comes to Trinity, he does not think at all. He's all emotion. He ends up killing her father by mistake and the trickle down lands him and Trinity dead.

I was annoyed with how hard Prince went to get him made. Like, he just jump from street general to Capo? He supposedly took to it like a fish out of water, but honestly, that didn't come across to me while I was reading. Everything he did seemed unnatural. The fairness he showed niggas in the streets, like making people work off debts instead of killing they ass to make an example, seemed like something someone who didn't belong doing that would do. Not that it was necessarily wrong; the drug game is still business. It just didn't come off as something a person would have gotten away with in real life. The only time he ever showed his dark side was when it was involving Trinity. A nigga in his emotions can't make sound decisions.

Then there was all this snitching going on within the organization. Basically, Rio's entire crew fell a part quick. There wasn't really anything about these people that made me believe that they wouldn't have been made targets much faster then what happened in the story. I just couldn't take them seriously.

Out of respect for the author and the story (which the writing was good) I gave this a 4. But this shit made me upset. ESPECIALLY how Barron tricked Rio into killing Trinity. That just put the shit icing on the shitty cake for me.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2017...

SPOILERS <<<
The truck is a B, lol! When he saw The Hound, he said: "You know what?" I hope his little snitch *** get murked. And I am glad he got what he deserved too. Because he set Cutty up and end up in the cell with Cutty, ha, KARMA's is a mother I tell you. Plus the only real dudes was in this book to me was Cutty, Mel, Rio, Prince, Jay, and the kid that Mel hung out with that left. It was sad that they all died in the end except Cutty, but still, Rio went out like the G that he was. Plus, it's crazy how people underestimated Rio, but what brought his demon Side out was the situations that has to happen to Trinity or if someone says something about her. He truly love that girl, I felt he should've killed himself, I mean love will do that to a person. I am just glad everyone found out who Truck really was. Also, I want a book about The Hound and Kane. I love them lol they are awesome.

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book...this waz the first book I read by Kwan...I did not like the ending....then again its just me because I'm a big fan of sequels...this is def a page turner...and Rio was sexy as hell but dam he did not have much to show for...not really feeling that part but he held it down for his chick....this is a must read

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book …. too many typos it’s always a hit and miss w| Kwan’s work …..

[Devonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mainly the book was about a girl name Trinity that lived in the streets of Harlem , and coming up she had a bad childhood which affected her adult life. Through that she had a boyfriend name Darius also known as Rio that grew up in the streets and dealt with the streets as well. So there was a lot of chaos knowing that her boyfriend was in the drug business. I think the book was really good. It made me think about a lot of things that go on in life, see things more clearer than before.I would truly recommend this book to somebody because i think that they would get something out of it other than just having a book to read.

[Dione Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow..What a heartbreaker..I rooted for Trinity & was sad at the way She went..Rio..smh..He was done Damn dirty..Trunk?? WTF..I wanted more..but this was a Banger..

[Blow Pop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content warnings: Childhood sexual assault, rape, incest, paedophilia, murder, violence, drug use, alcohol use, mentions of blood and gore

I think this was the most depressing books of K'wan's I've ever read. Just...damn. The ending was some Romeo & Juliet type shit...I had a feeling well before the ending (somewhere around 70% of the book) that it would be like that but crap on a cracker. The last two chapters were the most depressing (though the ending of the book/last chapter was pretty happily satisfying) and the bloodiest.

To be honest, I don't blame Rio for what he did or what happened. Were I in his position in regards to being in love and having what happened happen I would have done the exact same thing.

I both liked and hated Officer Brown. Like I know that for some of it he was literally just following orders and couldn't change any of that (though were I him, I would of at least TRIED to go above his head for that) but something about some of his actions was just off to me. Yeah he tried to do the right thing but I'm conflicted (as I'm sure he was).

As for the other white cops, they're the exact kind that I don't trust and comparatively, I have little to no reason not to trust cops (other than getting pulled over at least 3 times a year because some asshole has almost my exact same plate just a number off and won't pay for their damn registration and has my car apparently too and the incident from high school where I almost got run over in front of the cop and the cop didn't care) because I was born into a position of privilege (in which I am very white and am read as female despite my dislike of it) in which the cops are more likely to care about me than most of the people in k'wan's books. By virtue of my skin colour.

I was kind of happy that for this book there wasn't a lot of talk about the crips and bloods gangs. Because while I know their history and their necessity for protecting their areas, I'm still not a big fan of them (part of that has to do with being raised in a city in which LAPD drops all their people getting out of their jail system and winding up with a LOT of crips and going to a high school that was blood colours--red and black were our school colours and we were heavily encouraged to wear them every friday--and very luckily I didn't live in the middle of town where all the really huge fights and shootouts happened--where the high school there had blue and gold as their colours--though we did have a lot of young white boys pretending to be gangbangers--and there was no way they could have been they just talked the game--anyway though) in general speaking. I've seen violence first hand and been pepper sprayed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (well technically right place wrong time because I was going to class and there was a riot in front of my classroom so because I was trying to get through the crowd I was assumed to be part of it and needless to say half my class got either directly pepper sprayed or indirectly because enclosed area). It's not pretty and personally I'm not a fan of people in general who advocate for violence (I saw one of my friends get the shit kicked out of him and instead of fighting back he put his arms around his skull to protect it and suspended for fighting while the asshole --two white dudes btw-- who instigated it got nothing). I don't mind reading about it. I just don't like seeing it or hearing it happen.

Anyway I've gotten a lot of sidetracks here.

I like that it was started with Rio actually TRYING. His own screw up was lying on the one job application. Because I truly believe they would have been more likely to give him the job had he been up front in the first place (because some places honestly will try to work with you even if you're a convicted felon).

And Prince was kind of ......(trying to find non AAVE to use).......really fucked up is the best way I can put it without appropriating slang that I have no right using. Especially with the continually trying to recruit Rio even with him turning him down each time. That's just not right.

Oh and her daddy.......If I could have put that bullet in his head I would have. Of course I would have also marched myself down to the police station and turned myself in (or called 911 and turned myself in) but that comes from me having a serious guilt complex that no matter how much he deserved it I couldn't have pretended I didn't do it. Basically I have no qualms about shooting to kill people who do the shit he did. And it wasn't the excessive alcohol drinking that bothered me either. It was everything else. But my feelings on that are complicated when you bring up people who have the thoughts and attraction but keep themselves in check and don't act on the urges because I can't condemn people who haven't done anything and it's really complicated. But no parent should do that to their child especially.

Oh and I wanted Truck to die so badly from the second he entered the book essentially. He just reeked of sleeze.

Anyway, this was a good book. Despite the depressing bit at the end.

[Chelley Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was depressing. 💔

[Julio Flores]

E-II
Julio C. Flores
Mr. Rossi
10-18-07
pgs. 0-50

Street Dreams should be read by every student who hates to read because it is a good book that most students would enjoy reading. The book deals with a lot of issues that young students are going thru in high school or been thru. Also it's a couple of students who are attending high school and the problems they face every day. Like an abusive father, suicide, murder, rape, drug dealing, but also it's about young adults trying to make it in life looking for a better solution to their problems so they can get out the 'hood, also the book includes having a good time with frieds like going out to parties or clubs. It's a good book because i know there a lot of boring books out there that don't really catch your attention so your forced to read a book in order to do a journal or pass a class in english. What i'm saying though is this book is different i actually started reading this book over the summer because i found myself having nothing to do so i picked up this book up and even though i didn't get far in it, i really enjoyed reading it, that's why im actually reading it right now. The point i'm trying to make out here is if you liked what i said about the things the people go thru in the book then you find it that you will actually find yourself trying to make time to read and find out what happens with them and the issues they go through in order to find a better live for themselves.

[Akia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. This book has a whole lot of characters, and I was able to keep up with each one, while also being intrigued by their storylines. Not once was I confused, or felt a break or slowness in the plot.
In this story you meet a great deal of different characters. Rio, an intelligent young man, who wants more than just a hood life, and is trying to be legit. But what happens when he is being groomed to take over something he doesn't want, and a flaw in his plan changes his destiny? Trinity is the love of Rio's life, but is dealing with a lot on her own. Rio is her hood Romeo, but when a serious of unfortunate events happen, she is forced to either ride with her man, or think of another plan. Shamel and Cutty are 2 of Rio's most loyal friends. Both of them in the same type of work, with each handling it differently than the other. When an opportunity is thrown at them by their friend, they dive in head first, but with the snakes that lurk, no one is safe. Throw in J, Prince, Truck, Hound, and a slew of other characters, and you have not only a mastermind of a real hood book, but a book that only a great writer can produce.
I haven't read this book in years, and reading it now brought back every emotion I had back then. This book just brings you in on the journey, and keeps you on the trip til the very end. Even then you don't want it to be over. If you haven't read Street Dreams yet, you are truly missing out on a classic!!

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars all the way! I can't believe I've waited this long to read any of K'wan's books! K'wan is talented in a major way and he brings something to urban-fiction/street-lit which is missing in the majority of books today. I could really go on and on about this book but I'll keep it short. I loved the characters, most of the time the secondary characters aren't all that developed and aren't crucial to the story, they're sort of like extras in a movie. Well, not here. In Street Dreams, the secondary characters made the book as much as Trinity and Rio IMO. Joyce brought a lot to the book, as grimy as she was. The Hound and Kane - simply awesome.
Reading Section 8 and Street Dreams makes me wonder about K'wan when he's writing - I'd love to just be in his presence while he's writing!
I waited a long time to crack a K'wan book, even after having owned at least one for years. Don't make the same mistake. If you read urban-fiction and you're tired of all the same old plots, books filled with errors, and lame characters, pick up one of K'wan's books - you won't regret it.
I put K'wan in the same league (easily) with Sister Souljah, Treasure E. Blue and R.M. Johnson. They're all bringing urban-fiction RIGHT, without the mess.....

[Sheryl Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Rio and Trinity had a special love for one another. Even though he did things he called "just being a dude", he really loved Trinity and wanted no else. He had street swag and smarts but he wasn't really a bad boy. After doing a bid in prison, Rio wanted to do things on the up and up but the street life just sucked him in. Rio was straight up,fair dude who had dreams of having a better life with the love of his life. He was her knight and would do anything for her including killing her father for abusing her. In the end,Rio played the hand he was dealt but it caused him his life and the life of his love.

[Shà · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was one of my veery first books of kwans that I read. it took me a minute to actually wrap my mind around it. it was adventurous, romantic, sick, scary, and real. it was enjoyable and I was a sophomore in high school when I read it. it was bittersweet towards the end because he died with her. I want a man like that. ever since then, ive been hooked on kwan and I haven't stop reading him since. I would love to meet him sooner or later in life. he is so inspirational and real. thank you kwan for this read.

[Now, if I could just get paid for Reading... · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on page 82 and there are already been 4 typos and a word not used correctly. The book is about 300 pages long so I am guessing I have about another 10 more typos to look forward to... Okay, so I finished reading the book. It turned out to be a great but sad story. Wow, the ending, I figured the story would end the way it did but I still held hope for Rio and Trinity. Overall, quick read full of action.

[Eloisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a book that "punched me in the gut", I really liked it; and most of the time my schema relates to this book. This book is a number one reccomended book that I want many of my friends to read , and with no doubt will love it. Impactful scenes in this book had made me think twice, cry and laugh and when I read that book minutes flew by like seconds. This book had cliff hangers within everypaqe that made me want to skip through the book to see what happens.

[Anissa Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rio has plans on finding honest work. In the meantime he has one foot in & one foot out of the game because with a record it's proving harder than he thought to find a job.
He's in love with Trinity & she loves him just the same but she has a secret. When Rio finds out, naturally he decides he can fix it but gets in over his head & has to call in a favor. Now to pay the favor back, he has both feet in the game.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first books I ever read. This book made me cry, it made me ball. Such a great touching lively fictional story that comes to mind when thinking of others. I love this book, something that a young MAN might enjoy.

[Shell]

I LOVE IT THE END HAD ME CRYIN

[Twandra Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first novel written by K'wan. I must say that I thorougly enjoyed it.

[Born True Bethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. It is one of the first street lit.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read but the ending!!!!! Aw man, that was the best part!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always the good girl who is the Thugs ride or die. People underestimate the Good Girl. They underestimated Trinity who I would say was the master mind to help keep Rio on the Top of the Totem pole. If it wasn't for her ideas and her making plans for their future there is not telling where Rio would have been.
Rio was a good boy too and just wanted to do whatever he had to do to make sure that his family was taken care of. Different situations happened in his life and they drove him deeper into the game. Especially the day where he made a big mistake and had his mentor so called clean up the mess. That mistake bought him fame and haters.
Every good man needs a strong woman. Read and find out how strong of a woman that Trinity was. Also, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Rio will find out who his friends and Foes really are in Street Dreams by K'Wan.

[Written Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that K’wan is an absolute genius. His character development is out of this world. This read was the start of my never ending K’wan obsession. Rio was an intelligent young man who made a few bad choices and had to play with the hand he was dealt but his girl Trinity was by his side every step of the way. I loved how I was able to hate Joyce yet understand her as a person despite how she behaved. It’s crazy because if you pay attention, a lack of communication as well as ignoring your gut feelings was the cause of a lot of issues that they faced. This is honestly a read that you just have to pick up for yourself & you won’t be disappointed.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always start off my K'wan reviews with "huge fan". That's not going to end.
This was an earlier book that I had shockingly never read.
Rio wasn't a great character. Not likable even though I think he was supposed to be.
But Shamel? Between him and Trinity, the ending got me in my fee fees.
Truck, Hound, Joyce, Kane and Cutty were also great characters (love or that them, they made you feel something). The twists and turns that K'wan does so well kept me speeding through the pages.
The ending was typical K'wan. You can't always get attached to his characters.
It's easy to see how his work has evolved over the years and subsequent books.
3.5-4 stars

[Saquoia Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGGGG...I read this book more than 7-8 years ago in high school. I believe I read it more than once. This story completely blown me away. Every twist and turn kept me on the edge of my seat. This author may not be your typical scholar, but he KNOWS what he's doing when it comes to street literature.

[Angela Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The. CharactersCharacters were well put together. Rio's undying love for Trinity showed throughout the book. Shamel's loyalty was real also.

Of course Truck got what he deserved . His crazy desire to be on top was his downfall in the end

[Mauricio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. K’wan does a really good job at getting you emotionally attached to the characters! This is book is a sad one but a good one. And the last chapter really brought it home for me! Glad Cuddy was able to get his revenge and “avenge” Rio and Mel and Trinity in a sense was great!