Criticism: Some critics claim that books in this genre aren't well-written; others argue they have as much literary merit as books in other genres. Of course there may be "bad" books in this genre just as "bad" books exist in other genres. On this page we've provided sources to help you decide for yourself.
The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature by 
Street Lit: Representing the Urban Landscape by The covers and content of some street lit books have been criticized for objectifying the female body and glorifying male attitudes of machismo.
Street lit books often contain explicit sexual content and graphic violence.
Critics complain these representations emphasize stereotypical assumptions about individuals and portray overly sexual characters.
For seven years teen specialist librarian Rollie Welch wrote a regular column called The Word on Street Lit reviewing new urban literature.
To find these reviews, search the Library's Academic Search Complete database using the example below:
Pimping Fictions: African American crime literature and the untold story of Black pulp publishing by
"Gifford aims to inject greater awareness of black crime fiction into the history of African American cultural production, and his analyses of Chester Himes, Robert Beck, Donald Goines, and Players magazine fulfill that ambition. His book clarifies this popular yet understudied topic." Choice Reviews, 2013