American Street

Written by Ibi Zoboi

Narrated by Robin Miles

A National Book Award Finalist with five starred reviews and multiple awards!

A New York Times Notable Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time * A Parade Best Young Adult Book of All Time * A Kirkus Best Book Of the Century * Publishers Weekly Flying Start * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice of 2017 (Top of the List winner) * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * BookPage Best YA Book of the Year

An evocative and powerful coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jason Reynolds

In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture.

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.

But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9780062661241

Ibi Zoboi

Ibi Zoboi was born in Haiti, and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing has been published in The New York Times Book Review, and The Rumpus, among others. She is the author of American Street, a US National Book Award finalist. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children. You can find her online at www.ibizoboi.net.

Reviews for American Street

[Patricia Houser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent audio book. Looking forward to future work from this author.

[kim stories · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a moving and beautiful story incredibly well written and perfectly narrated. Zoboi has the most amazing way with words and there are phrases in this book I will remember forever. the narrator is perfect.
it is all just amazing

[Beatrice Conover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully narrated story that is magical and haunting. I couldn't stop thinking about this book and highly recommend it.

[Matt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was good. The ending was sad. Be ready for that. It was good though, I liked it.

[Natalie Griffin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was an awesome story! I loved the integral part of Haitian culture that the author includes.

[jessica jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A captivating and haunting story. Family is everything in this story and even when justice is served, injustice is served as well.

[dawn.zimmerer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If there were a rating higher than 5 stars this book would deserve it. From painful and terrifying beginning to thought provoking and uncomfortable end it was a fantastic read. I recommend this book to all my teen patrons and gladly recommend it to many adults as well.

[Taiwo Yetunde Williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed listening to this audio!
The narrator was able to take on so many different tones and characters, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I loved the theme that ran throughout the book; I won't say what it was, but it kept me captived until the very end.

[Cherish Valentin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Haitian family trying to be together. This book was so, so, so realistic. I can totally imagine everything happening in real life. I hated the ending, but sadly, it happens.

[Eila McMillin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the juxtaposition of traditional Haitian Vodou with contemporary gang/street culture of Detroit. I thought the characters could have been more developed and the flatness of the characters sort of makes the story feel incomplete.

[Kathleen Zimmerman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Have been reading books with a Michigan connection this past year.

All characters in this tale have distinct personalities and voices making the book intresting to listen to.

Somewhat of a twist at the end, not a complete surprise though.

A little bit of magical realism throughout.

Using an underage immigrant teenager as an informant, baiting them with the promise of getting thier mother to them, who is being held by immigration in New Jersy bothered me.

Playing with kids emotions is a questionable practice. Detroit is famous for using at least one 17 year old who was recruited at the age of 14 to act as an informant, in the drug world.

This book tells the story of an immigrant teenager over the course of one semester and her experience as an informant, with devastating results.


The main character is nicknamed Faboulos, a word of Latin orgin, told in an informal way modern way, with a thread of the formal through the words of a character named bad leg - a fabulous tale.

[Steve theBean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My biggest and only critique is that it ends when and where it does. Wonderful book and a big ole thank you for the author for her stories.❤️

[completely_melanie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audio book for this. I would give this a 3.5 if I could. This story is about a girl from Haiti that has come to America with her mother. She is allowed to enter the United States, but her mother is detained and held in a detention facility for a very long time. I thought this story was going to be more about their struggle as immigrants, but instead it was more about teenagers in mixed up in the drug business in Detroit. It was a good story, but just not really what I was expecting. Just a quick note about the narrator of the audio book: She was absolutely amazing!

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fabiola and her mother are on their way from Haiti to move in with her Matante Jo and her cousins, when Fabiola's mother is detained and she is sent on to Detroit without a parent. Thrust into a city where the rules of the streets are largely unknown to her, Fabiola has to make her way, depending on her lwa guides and all her ingenuity to help her family and get her mother back.

This was an intense read that kept me guessing throughout, broke my heart, and put it back together again. Fabiola is a great character who clings to her Haitian roots while learning how she is expected to live in America. Her cousins Chant, Pri, and Donna are doing their best to survive, too, and their characters and those of Donna's boyfriend, Dray, and his friend (and Fabiola's maybe-boyfriend) Kasim, are fleshed out especially well in a first-person narrative. You really feel for all the complexity and challenges they all face in the house on the corner of American and Joy Streets.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting premise, but I wondered how many tropes of poverty/gangs/drugs in Detroit were accurate and which were dramatized.

[readingbeader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a good book about immigration issues, drug dealing, religion, and family.

[allison_s-802575 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For right now let me just say this book is amazing. Part immigrant narrative, part alt-"American dream" narrative, part magical realism, ALL breathtaking. Also, it made me cry. Anyways, longer review to come, but this book was wonderful and I love love love Fabiola and her cousins.

IBI ZOBOI IS ON MY AUTO-READ LIST NOW.

Longer RTC!

[hexenlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm broken. I just can't right now.

[bdartnall_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Full of Haitian cultural references, words, Vodou beliefs, and Detroit's gritty "west side" slang, scenes, neighborhood problems. While the main character Fabiola Toussaint is a sincere, sweet teen who struggles to adapt to her new cousins & aunt's life and the American school/culture she's thrust into.... it's so full of profanity and adult-level problems, violent deaths, etc.. definitely a story for older teens. While the reader has hopes at the beginning of the novel that Fabiola's mother will be released from detention in New Jersey and rejoin her daughter, the entire novel progresses with very few details of her mom's exact situation (perhaps the author's pt, since story told from Fabiola's pt of view?) and ambiguous responses at best from her ailing aunt (her mother's sister) - confusing. Drug dealing, violent deaths (including teen), crime situations, and did I mention again - the non-stop profanity from Fabiola's cousins, and some of the other teens at her school? - and the intercalary chapters in various characters voices- demanding but compelling read about immigrant girl's bewildering but eventually, life affirming development. Cavalcade of Authors 2020 selection.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This will get higher ratings from other readers. I found the language, sex, and violence too much for me, but I'm sure there are high school students than can relate and will enjoy the novel. I truly enjoyed Fabiola's immigration from Haiti to America, but found the gang violence not as interesting.

[jjones360 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Could I give it negative stars?

[shellypya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture. On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

[mjspear_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabiola, a Haitian born in the USA, emigrates to America with her mother. A snafu at the border detains her mother so Fabiola greets her cousins in Detroit alone. She is thrust into the energy and poverty of an inner-city high school. The casual violence and verbal abuse is balanced by strong family ties and deep love. Still, Fabiola misses her mother. To try to speed her release, Fabiola agrees to narc on a local drug dealer suspected of giving deadly drugs to rich Grosse Pointe kids. Her spiritual guide is Papa Legba ("Bad Leg") a homeless man whose street corner song hints at the turmoil to come. The school scenes are frighteningly dramatic (fights, threats, little real teaching). Her three cousins lead tough lives: hiding in books, bad boyfriends, and unrequited love, respectively. This reader was saddened to see Fabiola American-ized in this cold world. The plot is gripping if, at times, histrionic. This tale will resonate with inner city youth and immigrants. Compelling and important.