Piri Thomas. Down These Mean Streets. Vintage Books, New York: 1967.

Book Review By: Jaquelyn McEwen

The coming of age is a hard time for many young men and women. They often find themselves in that awkward stage of no longer being a child yet not quite an adult and still trying to find which avenue suites them for their journey into adulthood. Piri Thomas, in his memoir Down These Mean Streets, tells the hardships and troubles he had in discovering himself, a dark skinned Puerto Rican (from a family that did not want to admit the African descent) on the streets of Spanish Harlem. This book was published by Vintage Books, New York in 1967. This book is lyrical and allows the reader to feel like they are with Thomas on his rocky road to a better life.

I chose to read this book mostly because the title caught my attention. I then looked up further information about the book and was able to read the reviews by others who had read the book. This just confirmed my decision since the majority of reviews were positive and praised Piri Thomas for his work. Also, when looking up information about the book I was able to see that it was about a Puerto Rican man. Since I did not know much about this culture I thought the background of the book would be different and new to me.

The language in the book made it both authentic and difficult to understand. Since I do not speak Spanish I found myself constantly flipping to the back of the book to look up what a word meant. I felt that this made some of the passages loose their power. It was distracting. Yet, I must say that when he would use Spanish words instead of just English it gave the sentence a sense of realness. It made the reader feel as though they were there listening to the conversation. The use of language made his work original.

The book was organized in a manner that was easy to follow. Thomas kept the book chronological. He built up on the chapters and often came back and elaborated on things that the reader my not have found that important. He wrote the book in a more conversational style. Instead of just telling his story, he reacted it and wrote down the scenes. Some of the time it felt like one was reading a script to a movie instead of someones memoir. Just in the beginning chapter one was able to see his unique style.

Piri Thomas was able to not only tell about his own life, but also touch on the extreme difficulties for minorities in America to make something of themselves. He vividly depicts the difficulties growing up in Spanish Harlem. He allows the reader to see that the choices are not as clear cut as we would like to think them to be. While many feel that if one wants to do something with their life they decide to do so and do it. Thomas shows that it is not this way. On the streets he time and again tells that status is everything and its all about what gang you’re a part of to ensure a good status. He also elaborates on the accessibility of drugs and how the dealers get you hooked and one is no longer able to function without them. He also shares how one bad choice to keep ones tough reputation can quickly wind down to homelessness, desperation, and eventual prison.

Even though Thomas was able to turn his life around in prison and eventually make something of himself many of the youth in the ghettos of America don’t have this same happy ending story. Thomas claims that he wrote this book to bring awareness to the situation these children face when they reach the crucial coming of age time. He wanted to allow other Americans see the desperation the poor of the country are in and how there needs to be a focus on helping these children get out before the get in. He also feels that the cut back in the government should not take away from community programs or the education of the children. Although I did not get this from reading the actual content of the chapters, Thomas clearly states it in his Afterward.

Another topic strongly brought up throughout the book was the awareness of ones race. Thomas wrote about experiences where he was thought to be of a different race and treated with less respect or times where his race caused hazing by other bullies. He also wrote about an experience as a young adult and having the ability to work on a ship that traveled the world. He states that he felt this was his time to see fair treatment outside of the United States, instead he found that it did not matter where one was, skin color made a difference on the way one was treated regardless. Thomas also states, in his Afterward, that all children are born with some intelligence and that is not determined by their skin color. I thought this was a valid point and agree.

Even though I was not a fan of the overall writing style (mainly because I don’t know Spanish and had to constantly look up definitions) I feel that Piri Thomas was able to show several different problems the poor face growing up in the ghettos while telling his own personal testimony and triumph. I feel this book is proof that everyone has something the say that can contribute to society. Overall I feel that Piri Thomas has written a very informative book when on reads between the lines.