When I Was the Greatest

In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your headâÈ'even if youâÈçre totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I donâÈçt really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing. Nah, not his thing. AliâÈçs got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now thereâÈçs a dude looking for troubleâÈ'and, somehow, itâÈçs always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guyâÈçs gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, itâÈçs all small potatoes; itâÈçs not like anyoneâÈçs getting hurt. And then thereâÈçs Needles. Needles is NoodlesâÈçs brother. HeâÈçs got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. ItâÈçs cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesnâÈçt mean anything by it. Yeah, itâÈçs coolâÈöuntil Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to beâÈösomewhere they never should've beenâÈ'where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.