Kiara Johnson navigates the streets of Oakland as a seventeen-year-old with no safety net—her mother is in rehab and her brother is consumed by his music career, leaving her to fend for herself. When survival becomes the only option, she makes impossible choices that reveal the harsh realities facing vulnerable youth in America. This debut novel captures a young woman's resilience and humanity against the backdrop of urban poverty and exploitation. Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, Nightcrawling is a searingly honest portrait of those society leaves behind.
