Concrete Halo

Tyson Davis and Nashayla "Shayla" Gooden shared a sacred childhood promise: they were going to escape Talladega together . They would leave the poverty, the family secrets, and the gunshots behind to see the ocean, go to college, and build a safe home of their own .But as high school graduation approaches, the reality of hunger and systemic traps pulls Tyson into the orbit of a dangerous local drug syndicate . Drawn in by fast cash to keep his grandmother afloat, Tyson trades his notebooks for a gun . Even as he secretly fights his way back toward redemption and a college acceptance letter, the streets don't let go easily. A raw, haunting exploration of cycle and survival, Concrete Halo asks if love and a brilliant mind are enough to shatter a predictable cycle of violence—or if where you start dictates exactly where you end Read more