In the song Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio it says, “Been spendin’ most their lives livin’ in a gangsta's paradise.” This quote runs with the book If I Grow Up written by Todd Strasser, for the song shows the tragedy and struggle of the gangsta’s. The book is about a boy named DeShawn who lives in the hood in the Frederick Douglass Projects. In the Projects, every day, there are gunshots, dead people, drugs, and dangerous gang leaders that are some of the most important people to him. Throughout the book, DeShawn has to make some choices about whether to join the Disciples or not. However, that choice for him gets harder and harder for him as he gets older and needs money, but the question still remains does DeShawn have a choice not to join
