A suspenseful coming-of-age story that moves from the halls of a historically black university to the streets of Washington, D.C., with great insight into the joys and perils of discovering what really matters in life

As the Ellis Community Center, a rare bright spot in a low-income Washington, D.C., neighborhood, struggles to keep its doors open, its last hope for survival lies with four Highland University housemates:

Terence Bootstrapper Davidson. Clawing his way out of poverty, he refuses to give in to the streets--while struggling to save Biggie, his defiant little brother, from that very fate.

Larry Smooth Operator Whitaker. Driven and ambitious, he has everything: the Lexus, the superfly girlfriend, and a future edged in gold.

Brandon Choirboy Bailey. A bright premed major who has been dateless for four years, he struggles to maintain his religious faith despite his longing for Monica, a classmate he's loved from afar.

O. J. Sinister Minister Peters. Unsuccessfully juggling his budding career as a Baptist preacher with a string of empty affairs, he sees his carefully constructed double life threatened when a member of his congregation becomes pregnant.

Their mission to save Ellis Center quickly puts them in harm's way when Nico Lane, a sophisticated local drug dealer who wants the center shut down, becomes aware of their efforts. When Larry's campaign for student body president is sabotaged, O.J.'s women suddenly catch on to his act, and Terence is forced to choose between the center and Biggie's life, the men suspect there is more to the center's problems than just bad finances.

From the Trade Paperback edition.