Overview

Kareem was raised in an exclusive neighborhood in Echelon, New Jersey. Trees and manicured lawns was the norm of his environment. No sirens wailing constantly from police cars or liquor stores occupying every other corner. He didn't understand everything that his parents were telling him, but he did understand that he was going to go live with them. Both of his parents were raised in the city and wanted their only child to experience both sides of life. His mother was raised in Philly, while his father was raised in Camden. Living in Camden, he will meet his future partners in elementary school. He would run through the urinated and broken-bottle-filled alleys with them while learning to distinguish the distinct sounds of certain weapons. They shared everything together, but he was keeping a secret from them. He never shared what transpired when he went home for the summer, except that nothing exciting occurred. When backed into a corner, he revealed his secret. Who would have thought that the journey they would endure would challenge every moral teaching he received? Who would have thought he would become the product of his environment?