FCYU-Feature Story

Hot Girl Talk Gets Hot
Three Represent writers break down a novel about friendship and foster care

In the novel Hot Girl, by former Youth Communication writer Dream Jordan, Kate is a 14-year-old tomboy and a die-hard Brooklynite. She’s tough and cool and knows how to handle herself in the streets. She’s adjusting to life with her new foster mother Lynn, with whom she has a shaky relationship. Lynn is not that bad, but they don’t understand each other. Kate has had so many bad experiences that she does not trust anyone except her caseworker Tisha, who never gave up on her.

Kate’s a tomboy, but she has a big crush on a boy named Charles who she’s known since the 2nd grade. He’s in foster care, too, and, to her frustration, treats Kate as just a friend. Kate is lonely because her best friend Felicia is away for the summer and so she becomes friends with Naleejah.

Naleejah has perfect hair and clothes and the confidence to sashay across the basketball court in the middle of a game. All the boys stop and stare and all the girls stop and hate. Naleejah tries to befriend Kate, but Kate is skeptical because they have nothing in common. Then Naleejah gives her a grand makeover, turning her into a bona fide “hot girl.” Together they strut around the ’hood and get the boys’ attention, and Kate finally has her first kiss with Charles.

Kate and Naleejah develop a whirlwind “summer friendship.” But can Naleejah really be trusted? The friendship with Naleejah ripples through Kate’s life, not only with Charles, but also with her foster mother, Lynn. Lynn gets suspicious when Kate shows up in the clothes Naleejah has given her and tears her room apart, looking for drugs and drug money. Naleejah also gets her into a fight with some other girls, and fighting is something Kate’s been trying to leave behind. She learns a lot about herself during that summer.

—Danielle Chambers

The Discussion

Danielle, Virgen Nuñez, and La’Quesha Barner take off from some questions about Hot Girl.

What did you think about Naleejah?

Danielle: Naleejah was one of those girls who doesn’t feel good about herself and attaches herself to someone who doesn’t look as good or have as much as her to make herself feel better.

Virgen: But she had a rough time in her life. Her sister passed away. That’s what caused her to act like that.

La’Quesha: I didn’t understand that sick thing of changing Kate into her sister, putting those dead clothes on her. [Najeelah’s sister died and she gives Kate her clothes.]

Danielle: I think Naleejah was insecure and needed someone to cling to. She didn’t change that much over the book; she still wanted to be the hot girl, with all the boys. Her character didn’t develop much. Kate’s the one who changed by finding out who the real Naleejah was.

Virgen: Naleejah was insecure, but I wish in the book they’d talked more about her life experience before the book began, before she started dressing up and being conceited. There should be a Part 2.

Danielle: Yes, it could show these girls when they’re 12 or 13. Girls go through that period where they want to impress each other, but they don’t know how so they show off their bodies.

Virgen: When I was in high school, I wanted to look all nice and show off, I admit it.

La’Quesha: You were a Naleejah?

Virgen: I wasn’t like her exactly, but I wanted to go to school looking nice.

Danielle: You wanted to be the flyest girl in the school. I understand that.

Virgen: People do look into that. I admit, in high school I showed up the first day in my nice clothes doing my little walk.

Danielle: Every girl has that thing where she wants to be pretty. When you turn 14, you realize you can’t just have two pigtails anymore. You have to step up your game a little.

Could you relate to Kate?

La’Quesha: I felt for her getting moved around from home to home and people not giving a crap about her.

Danielle: I could relate to both girls because sometimes I’d be friends with gorgeous girls and other times, I’d be the flyest one and I had the little ug- [laughs] the not-so-good-looking friend. But then I realized that doesn’t matter, people is people and you gotta accept them for that.

Virgen: I also relate to Kate being tired of moving, feeling like giving up and acting out. And also wanting to change the way you are to impress people.

Danielle: Kate never liked Naleejah. She even said, “My friend Felicia is gone, so I’ll hang with this girl.” I didn’t believe they were ever really friends.

Others: No, me neither.

What did you think about Charles?

La’Quesha: I was mad, because he seemed like a good boy. That was wrong to not tell Kate he was with Naleejah.

Danielle: Guys just do dumb things sometimes.

Virgen: Dumb.

All: Dumb.

How would you handle the situation with Charles if you were Kate?

Virgen: Kate was kind of dumb. He wasn’t feeling her until she started dressing up? Please!

Danielle: He just wanted someone who looked good.

Virgen: Now that I’m dressing up and I have fly shoes, now he likes me? He’s supposed to love me no matter what.

Danielle: Guys don’t like girls who look like tomboys…. Maybe the guy starts liking you when you’re looking fly, then you get all your teeth knocked out, he’s supposed to still like you. But you can’t blame him if he falls for you when you’re looking good.

Virgen: But he was a foster child, too. He didn’t always look so good. He’s supposed to understand her more than that.

La’Quesha: I don’t approve of the way she was dressing, she could have looked better without looking slutty…. Boy shorts and heels, please! Her boobies all hanging out.

Virgen: She wanted this guy to look at her!

La’Quesha: She could have approached it a better way.

What did you think of Lynn as a foster mother?

La’Quesha: Lynn was not a bad foster mother; she just didn’t understand Kate. But she shouldn’t have ransacked her room. That was a big leap to assume she’s selling drugs just because she has new clothes and got her hair done.

Virgen: Foster mothers get trained, but she didn’t seem trained. She was just a woman who opened her door to a foster child. You could tell she’d never had a daughter, she didn’t deal with her well.

Danielle: The two didn’t take the time to get to know each other.

Virgen: When Lynn found out that Kate had new clothes, she should have sat down with her and talked to her about it. She’s not showing Kate anything by ransacking her room.

Danielle: Lynn wasn’t a bad foster mother. She should have handled some situations differently, but she always had Kate’s best interests in mind. Kate wasn’t used to good treatment, she’d been in gangs…. It was both of their fault, because they didn’t establish communication.

La’Quesha: Lynn should have talked with Kate and said, “I understand that you’ve been jumping from house to house and if you’re not ready to talk with us, we understand.”

Virgen: Lynn took a foster child to a discount store; you should know these kids don’t have much clothes.

Danielle: First of all, a foster child wants and needs certain things, but even real mothers don’t take you to buy name-brand clothes.

Virgen: Child welfare should have given them money to buy her clothes.

La’Quesha: I agree with Danielle. Even a good person might not have bought the Rocawear, the Baby Phat, all that. Some discount stores got some nice stuff. It’s not like she took her to the crackhead place.

What did you think of Naleejah jumping into cars and having sex that night with guys she’d just met? Do you know girls who do that?

Danielle: I do.

La’Quesha: I do know one girl who’s 17 who goes out with a dude who’s 20. It’s sad that a girl has to go to such lengths.

Danielle: When I was 12 my friend who was 14 was like Naleejah. Guys would buy her stuff, she’d go to their house and sleep with them. And I was wondering, “Is that how it works?”

I’ve been in situations where I would go to parties with a friend and we’d meet two guys, and my friend would be like, “He’s yours” and I’d be like, “He’s mine? I don’t know him!” They’d go out and do their thing and I’d be stuck with this guy and I’m not going to sleep with him. I have too much respect for myself to get on my back!

Virgen: Naleejah was going through a lot. Dream Jordan should have written more about Naleejah and how girls who want attention do stupid things.

In the book, Kate suggests a walk in the park and Naleejah replies that walking in park is “white people stuff” and “nerdy”—what did you think of that?

La’Quesha: It was wack. It’s like being black is the most interesting thing about you.

Virgen: Naleejah is just dumb. She doesn’t care about nobody’s feelings. She was just trying to keep Kate from walking in the park.

Danielle: I love being black. We can do whatever the hell we want. Walking in the park is not a white person thing to do. Where does it say outside of Central Park, “Black people can’t walk here”? I think Naleejah stigmatizes black women.

For example, I want to learn to ski. Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you can’t do things. I’m a citizen of the world. I can try anything I want. That’s about my mindset, not the color of my skin.

La’Quesha: Black people hold themselves back.

Danielle: White people love black culture, but we gotta reach our hand out. The best thing is when cultures mix. I know black people who go to the Puerto Rican Day parade and white people who go to the West Indian parade. That’s a beautiful thing.

Virgen: Walking in the park is a normal thing to do. That says Naleejah doesn’t do much besides have sex; she doesn’t experience things.

La’Quesha: We should all be allowed to walk with the birds and the squirrels.

Can you relate to the book?

La’Quesha: I relate more to Kate than Naleejah because she jumps from home to home and she never feels comfortable. And I could definitely relate to her relationship with Charles. I’m surprised and happy at the way she handled the situation. In the next book, I want to see what happens between her and Charles.

Danielle: I can relate to that situation of people who act like your friends but have their own agenda. I know people who have a stank attitude. I recommend this book to all girls between the ages of 12 and 25.

I like Kate. She reminds me of me. When Naleejah says, “What kind of name is Kate?” I could relate.

Virgen: Kate had a good relationship with her caseworker and her caseworker was really nice and kind and gave her great advice. It’s important to have a caseworker who actually speaks to you and tells you positive things about yourself.

La’Quesha: I liked Kate’s caseworker. She reminded me of a social worker I had, the way she was so cool and down to earth.

Virgen: The book’s not just for foster kids. Everyone can relate to a story about being influenced by a friend. This is one of the main things in this book, how you handle it when you have low self-esteem and you have someone who’s helping you try to figure out who you are, but in a wrong way. That’s what Naleejah did. Instead of helping Kate, she influenced her in a bad way by telling her to go to parties and encouraging her to have sex with guys.

Danielle: I applaud Dream Jordan for not letting Kate... [you’ll have to read the book to find out!]

Did Kate sound to you like a real teenager?

All: DUH!

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