First Round Lottery Pick: Book One of The Vil (Urban Renaissance)

Langston Holiday is forced to move with his no-nonsense mother into the gritty public housing projects of Poindexter Village, better known as "The Vil," after his father abandons them. Without any assistance, his mother is determined to make a man out of Langston—and she’s doing a pretty good job. By the end of his senior year, Langston is one of the best high-school basketball players in the nation. That’s when he makes the biggest decision of his life: to forgo college and enter the professional ranks.

When word hits the streets about Langston’s success, his newfound wealth stirs up plenty of envy in the projects, sparking a wave of unthinkable drama and crime. He’s being relentlessly pursued by Toy Daniels, a has-been athlete who’s determined to sign Langston to his newly formed sports agency. Langston’s best friend, Jalen, becomes involved in shady dealings with people who are known for nothing but trouble, and his girlfriend, Tori, is quickly becoming fed up with Langston’s wandering ways. Suddenly, Langston doesn’t know who he can trust.

This gripping novel from bestselling author Franklin White realistically depicts the pitfalls of basketball stardom, when large amounts of money fall into the hands of people who’ve never known anything but poverty and struggle.