“Brimming with hard realities about the choices we make, the friendships we keep, and the unlikely allies we find along the way, this affecting novel helps to fill the gaping hole left by Walter Dean Myers’s passing.” — Booklist   “A taut, haunting tragedy.” — Kirkus Reviews   One young man searches for a place to call home in this gut-wrenching, honest novel from New York Times bestselling author Wes Moore and cowriter Shawn Goodman.   Elijah Thomas knows one thing better than anyone around him: basketball. But when a sinister street gang, Blood Street Nation, wants him and his team members to wear the Nation’s colors in the next big tournament, Elijah’s love of the game is soon thrown into jeopardy.   The boys gather their courage and take a stand against the gang, but at a terrible cost. Now Elijah must struggle to balance hope and fear, revenge and forgiveness, to save his neighborhood. For help, he turns to the most unlikely of friends: Banks, a gruff ex–military man, and his beautiful and ambitious daughter. Together, the three work on a plan to destroy Blood Street and rebuild the community they all call home.   This Way Home is a story about reclamation. It’s about taking a stand for what matters most, and the discovery that, in the end, hope, love, and courage are our most powerful weapons.   “Brimming with hard realities about the choices we make, the friendships we keep, and the unlikely allies we find along the way, this affecting novel helps to fill the gaping hole left by Walter Dean Myers’s passing. ” —Booklist   “ A taut, haunting tragedy. ”— Kirkus Reviews “ Moore ( Discovering Wes Moore ) and Goodman ( Kindness for Weakness ) present difficult circumstances in an even-handed manner , while messages about friendship, hard work, and the importance of having—and following—a dream are an organic part of the story, delivered without preaching.”— Publishers Weekly  WES MOORE is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and was a Rhodes Scholar. He was named one of the top young business leaders in America and has appeared on the cover of Time magazine, which featured him in the article "The New Greatest Generation." Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and daughter. SHAWN GOODMAN is a writer and a school psychologist. His experiences working in several New York State juvenile detention facilities inspired him to write. Shawn lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife and children. Visit him at ShawnGoodman.com. 1 From the vantage point of an old, splintered bench, Elijah focused his attention on the far court action, which was looking radically different from the safe, organized competition of his high school games. A meaty guy with prison tattoos carried the ball like a battering ram to the hoop. Elijah winced as the guy plowed over a kid from the opposing team and nearly knocked him out of his Jordans. The kid groaned as he wiped at his bloody knees; of course, no one called a foul. “Hey,” said Dylan, who was dressed in ridiculously oversized shorts and a T-shirt. “Hey yourself,” said Elijah, his eyes still fixed on the game. The guy with the tats had just dunked over the head of the other team’s equally beefy center. “Damn,” said Dylan. “Is that guy playing in Hoops?” “Yep,” said Elijah. “And you’re going to be guarding him.” “He looks like he just got out of prison,” said Dylan. “And you know what he was in for?” “Tell me,” said Elijah. “For killing the last skinny white boy who was stupid enough to guard him. Not everyone’s like you, you know.” “Meaning?” said Elijah. “Meaning I’m not six-four and carved out of steel. I don’t wanna be that dude’s next parole violation. No way.” Elijah laughed and held a fake microphone in front of his friend’s face. “Strong words, Dylan. Anything else you’d like to say to your fans out there before you and your teammates become the first seventeen-year-olds to win the adult division of the biggest three-on-three tournament in the state?” Dylan grabbed the imaginary mike and tapped it. “Is this thing on? Okay. I’m saying I just want to play ball and be a lover. You know what I mean? That’s my message to the young people of the world. That’s what I want to be known for, basketball and . . .” “Sexual potency?” offered Elijah, returning the invisible microphone to his friend. “Exactly. What you said.” Elijah threw an arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders. “If that guy does kill you, make sure to draw the foul, okay? Coach Walters says we’ve got a real chance, but every point has got to count.” Dylan squirmed out from under Elijah’s arm and tried, unsuccessfully, to get his bigger, stronger friend into a headlock. Eventually they settled down to resume watching the game. “But seriously,” said Elijah. “What do you think about these guys? In case we do end up playing them.” “That dude over there’s got no left,” said Dylan. “And that one?” Elijah pointed at the guy with the prison tattoos, who had abandoned the game in f