We Beat the Street: How A Friendship Pact Led to Success

We Beat the Street

• Genre: Nonfiction; autobiography; young adult
• Originally Published: 2005
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 860L; grades 5-9
• Structure/Length: 26 chapters; approximately 194 pages
• Central Concern: The book tells the real-life story of three young men—Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt—who made a pact in high school to find a way out of their neighborhood and go to college, then medical school. Throughout the book, they share the challenges they faced and how their friendship helped them succeed.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Depictions of violence and crime; drug use; poverty; strong language

Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Sharon M. Draper, Authors

• Bio: Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt: born in the early 1970s; grew up in Newark, New Jersey; all became doctors; co-founders of The Three Doctors Foundation, a non-profit organization
• Sharon M. Draper: Born 1948; professional educator and award-winning writer; served as National Teacher of the Year; known for her work in children's literature
• Other Works: By Davis, Jenkins, and Hunt: The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream (2002); The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers (2007); by Draper: Tears of a Tiger (1994); Out of My Mind (2010)
• Awards: Five Coretta Scott King Book Awards

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Power of Friendship
• Learning Experiences and Education
• Second Chances

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the socioeconomic and geographical contexts around the city of Newark, as well as the importance of a curious mind, all of which impact the protagonists’ experiences in We Beat the Street.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Power of Friendship, Learning Experiences and Education, and Second Chances.
•  Review the text and strategize around how students can “pay it forward” with community service in their own lives, based on the book’s core themes.
• Examine and appraise the authors’ purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the power of music and theater in the boys’ lives, the boys’ sports participation in the book, and other topics.