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