Shades of Black

A boy born in fire. A heart rebuilt from ash. A dream fighting for air. 

Kem Brown has spent his whole life outrunning shadows— streets that swallow boys, dreams that die young, and a brother whose life experiences weigh heavier than a ton of fear. From the chaos of New Jersey rooftops, to the thunder of Kentucky football fields, Kem learns to survive by stitching hope into notebooks, by gripping the ball like a lifeline, by holding tight to the people who believe he can be more than where he came from. 

But growing up too fast comes with a cost. Violence waits on the corner. Love arrives in unexpected eyes. And poetry becomes the only place where his truth can breathe. When the hood erupts in war, when his brother is swallowed by a system built to chew boys whole, and when a single dream sets his soul on fire, Kem must choose which parts of his past to carry—and which to finally let go. Cinematic and raw, tender and thunderous, this coming-of-age tale follows one boy’s fight to break generational gravity, outrun the darkness calling his name, and step into the light he was never supposed to reach. Because sometimes becoming yourself is the bravest thing you’ll ever do.

Contains strong language and themes.