Street Angel
Robert Batista
WriteEye Books
ISBN: 1888097019
Reviewed By Paris Bennett

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


"The minute I touched it I felt a rush of raw, explosive power. The power to do anything, go anywhere, be anybody! In an instant, I was bigger, taller, and stronger. I wanted to shoot it."

Sixteen year-old Moises Colon knows what it's like to be invisible. Even though he's a gifted student at Brooklyn Technical High School, he's socially awkward, his father is long gone, and he's all but ignored by his mother, who dotes constantly on his younger brother, the center of her world. What's worse, an unprovoked attack by a hot-headed youth has left him scarred - both physically and mentally - which only adds to the already complicated daily trials of pubescence.

When his two closest friends are suddenly murdered right before his eyes, Moises loses any remaining sense of peace and security. Determined not to become a similar statistic, he buys a gun - and his life soon changes in ways he couldn't have imagined. He walks with a bolder swagger, talks with newfound bravado, and has diminished tolerance for the abuse and ridicule of his "former" life. He continues to ignore all warning signs of his abruptly-changed behavior - until one day he pulls the gun on his own mother. Suddenly face-to-face with the weaponized demon that he's become, he turns to his supportive girlfriend, Shay, who brings him back to reality by convincing him to turn the gun into authorities.

Things soon change for the better for Moises, but the world at large remains the same - and one day he's confronted with the ultimate test of his true manhood...without his mother, Shay, or the gun to help him, he must realize in an instant the magnitude of the decision that will affect the rest of his life…

The author of such modern classics as Brooklyn Story and The City Game, Rob Batista delivers again with Street Angel. In it, he continues his written crusade against the violence plaguing urban streets across the country, speaking directly to young men who find themselves in positions just like Moises: alone and misunderstood, seeking clarity in a world that profits from confusion. Without proper direction and guidance, it's all too easy for these young men to find their own way amidst all the chaos, and very few are as blessed as Moises to have the support of loving figures committed to their survival. No matter their station in life, though, Batista's message remains the same: it only takes a moment to make a decision that will impact you for the rest of your life; so choose wisely.

"This world we live in is nothing but a vicious cycle. Tragedy gets handed down from generation to generation. The key is to understand this and do everything we can to break the cycle."

In a day and age where school shootings and gang violence dominate daily headlines, Batista's insightful tale will surely serve as a panacea for the woes of urban blight. As with any illness, the key is not to treat the symptoms but to cure the problem; as such, for its raw power and unflinching honesty, Street Angel sheds a light of understanding that comes closer to a cure than any lecture, clichéd phrase, or political grandstanding ever will.