When I Was the Greatest;

In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head€"even if you€re totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.

A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don€t really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.

Nah, not his thing. Ali€s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there€s a dude looking for trouble€"and, somehow, it€s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy€s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it€s all small potatoes; it€s not like anyone€s getting hurt.

And then there€s Needles. Needles is Noodles€s brother. He€s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It€s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn€t mean anything by it.

Yeah, it€s cool€¦until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be€¦somewhere they never should've been€"where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.