If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

A Brief Summary

If I Grow Up follows the story of a young man named DeShawn who is growing up in the projects, starting when he is twelve years old and following him through the next ten years of his life. The story begins with DeShawn as a boy who lives in a neighborhood that is plagued with gang violence, poverty, and family problems ranging from teen pregnancy to deceased parents. It is hardly the ideal environment for a youngster and it only gets worse as violence in the area increases after the murder of a young child.

As the years pass the reader watches as DeShawn struggles to stay in school, support his grandmother and his sister, and still make a life for himself. He struggles constantly with not having enough food and clothes, with his young niece and his sister, with friends joining the local gang in order to look tough and make money, and all the problems that most everyone faces when growing up. The importance of a good education are constantly preached, but these promises never seem to compare to the money and power that comes with the gang lifestyle, and things get worse as DeShawn decides he can endure his place in life any more.

Thematic Elements

The events in If I Grow Up have a lot to do with themes of race, family, friends, power, and hopelessness. The book has a lot of interaction between family members and neighbors, who all cluster together for mutual support. Further, the book spends a large amount of time looking into the gang life and how the different elements relate to one another. Danger, loyalty, and betrayal are also common components of the second part of the book.

Analysis

This is a wonderful novel to assign to older students, preferably those in their junior or senior year of high school. Students reading this book need to be challenged to consider all of the things that have led to the violence and poverty that are so common to inner city America. They need to consider how the subject of race and class play into the situations of the characters and to understand that this is not just something that is happening in the book. The reality of the situation should be explored so that the book leaves a greater impact on the reader. DeShawn's choices are those that most students will never have to make, but this is a chance for them to consider what drove him to his decisions throughout the novel and to offer up what they might have done if they had been in his shoes.

A Little Something More

The best use of the novel is as a tool to show what life is like for those who do not have enough to survive. Themes of violence and poverty should be explored, as well as those of temptation, greed, and social and peer pressure. Take the time to converse with students about how they view gangs and the thug lifestyle versus how the book presents it. Ask them what sorts of things have contributed to their understanding of the subject—most will probably be quick to point out that rap videos and popular culture have glamorized the lifestyle compared the the gritty representation in Strasser's book. Have them do further research into the sorts of aid that impoverished families receive and what sorts of criticisms have been leveled against this aid.

For further reading, you can connect If I Grow Up with similar novels like Monster by Walter Dean Myers or Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri and Randy DaBurke. Have students compare the stories and look for similarities between the living conditions of the main characters and the way that they are treated by their fellows. Explore the idea of crime and why the main characters in texts are exposed to it and how it ultimately effects them. Further, have the students examine the ultimate fates of DeShawn and his friend Terrell. Ask them if they think that it was fair or if this was ultimately a happy ending.