Sapphire is one of the most impassioned voices in African-American literature today. In American Dreams, Sapphire explores the raw edges that circumscribe urban life. The ?Wilding? incident in Central Park; the shooting of fifteen-year-old Latasha harlins by a Korean grocer; the vicious cycle of family violence; the prospect of escaping one's fate by choosing art over madness, solitude over dependency, and spiritual renewal over addiction - these are the subjects explored in this astonishingly honest book. Sapphire invests strength and sensuality in poetry and prose that enlighten as they challenge contemporary perceptions of what American dreams really mean.