Who Am I Without Him?: Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives

Sharon G. Flake. Jump at the Sun, $15.99 (168pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-0693-5

Compilations of short stories and actual interviews lay bare teenage trials. Sharon G. Flake (The Skin I'm In) offers 10 portraits of teens and their romantic struggles in Who Am I Without Him? A girl gets a surprise response when she writes to a magazine advice column in ""Wanted: A Thug,"" while a boy robs a house to be able to afford to take a girl to the prom in ""Don't Be Disrespecting Me."" The often-painful stories paint believable pictures of urban teens from a variety of backgrounds. .

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