About the Book

Dope Boy Fresh dives deep into the unforgiving streets of Newark, where young Shimmy walks alongside his mother, Cynthia, learning life’s harsh lessons at an age when most children are still innocent. As they navigate Bergen Street, Cynthia points out the broken lives of men who once had it all the hustlers, pimps, and dealers who once ruled the block but have since fallen from grace. Shimmy listens, watches, and absorbs the gritty reality surrounding him: the stark truth that the street game is ruthless and spares no one. Guided by Cynthia’s raw, streetwise knowledge, Shimmy comes face-to-face with the cost of addiction, betrayal, and the unyielding pull of “the game.” Yet even as he promises his mother he’ll rise above the traps that caught so many before him, Shimmy knows breaking free won’t be easy. Dope Boy Fresh is the narrator behind this exciting survival tale of real resilience as one battles hard to get out of a life where every choice determines his life. It is a raw look at the world through the eyes of a young man fighting for his dreams in a place seemingly bent on holding him back.