Straight Outta East Oakland

Firstborn Walker has always been different. A bookworm and community college valedictorian, he dreams of escaping East Oakland and earning a degree from one of the nation's top universities. But when his best friend is killed-shot through the forehead with a hollow-tip bullet-Firstborn's drive to get out intensifies.

Desperate for the money to supplement his scholarship, he turns to the only person who can help: his childhood friend "Drama," a charismatic but ruthless crack dealer who runs the block with a triple-beam scale and an Uzi. Drama promises Firstborn he can earn what he needs in just three months-if he joins the Black Christmas Mob.

Suddenly, Firstborn is thrust into a dangerous new reality of safehouses, contract killers, witness tampering, and a relentless cop known as "The Hawk." Every decision could be his last. Will he escape with his future intact-or lose it all to the streets, a bullet from a vengeful gang leader called "Latin Caesar," or a triple-life sentence?

Tense, raw, and unflinching, Straight Outta East Oakland is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of one of America's most dangerous games-the dope game.