Midnight: A Gangster Love Story
Encyclopedia
Midnight: A Gangster Love Story originally scheduled to be published October 14, 2008, is a novel by Sister Souljah
that was published November 4, 2008, by Atria/Simon and Schuster. It is a prequel of The Coldest Winter Ever
(1999), the novel that spawned the contemporary street literature
movement. It follows a young Black
Sudan
ese Muslim immigrant in Brooklyn with whom Winter Santiaga associated before she was sent to prison.
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah is an American hip hop-generation author, activist, recording artist, and film producer. She gained prominence for Bill Clinton's criticism of her remarks about race in the United States during the 1992 presidential campaign...
that was published November 4, 2008, by Atria/Simon and Schuster. It is a prequel of The Coldest Winter Ever
The Coldest Winter Ever
The Coldest Winter Ever is a best-selling 1999 novel written by MC and activist Sister Souljah.-Plot summary:Set in the projects of Brooklyn, New York, The Coldest Winter Ever is the story of Winter Santiaga , the rebellious, pampered teenage daughter of a notorious drug dealer...
(1999), the novel that spawned the contemporary street literature
Urban fiction
Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside...
movement. It follows a young Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese Muslim immigrant in Brooklyn with whom Winter Santiaga associated before she was sent to prison.
Characters
- Midnight, the narrator and title character, is a 15-year-old Black Sudanese immigrant. He learns about the struggles that occur in the US. He proceeds to criticize the way that modern African Americans act in contrast to the way he and the men in Sudan behave and, in contrast, they have loose behavior. He also learns to find love and a great sense of protection for the people about whom he loves and cares.
- Umma, Midnight's and Naja's mother, is content with the way women act in her country and is trying to make a notable life for her two children since their move to the US by founding a business through which she designs and sells elaborate traditional garments.
- Naja, Umma’s daughter, is Midnight's 7-year-old sister.
- Akemi, a 16-year-old Japanese girl, lives in Brooklyn where she is working for her uncle while her father continues working in Japan. Akemi speaks Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean, but she is slowly learning English. An art prodigy, she attends college-level classes at Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
. She and Midnight tell their associates that they are only friends, but they actually love each other romantically.
- Ameer, described as one of Midnight’s close friends, is a 12-year-old who is mostly interested in girls. Ameer and Midnight fight frequently in a playful way. After a street fight between the two characters ends, Midnight explains his and Akemi's relationship.
- Chris, a hustler who plays basketball for money, lives with his mother and strict, protective father, and is another of Midnight's close friends.