From the streets of Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood comes a raw, unflinching story of survival, loyalty, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Born on December 4, 1972, Donnice “Squeak” Carter never knew her father and barely knew her mother. Raised by her grandmother Doris in a house on Reading Road, Squeak becomes the eyes and ears of a family fighting to survive in a world that wants to break them.

Her grandmother Doris is the glue—a woman whose Sunday dinners and fierce love hold together four sons and a wild-child daughter. Uncle Dana, the lawyer fighting for justice in a rigged system. Uncle Dale, the gentle soul building a life with his partner Marcus in a city that doesn’t accept them. Uncle Dexter, the prodigal son who returns with clean money and big dreams. Uncle Ricky, the charismatic street king whose empire is built on powder and promises. And Mama Robin, the bird who can never land, always chasing the next high, the next man, the next escape.

Through Squeak’s eyes, we witness it all: the Sunday soul food dinners that sustain them, the secrets that threaten to destroy them, the violence that claims their streets, and the love that refuses to let them go. From Ricky’s war with a rival dealer to Doris’s failing heart, from Robin’s endless cycle of addiction and recovery to Squeak’s own complicated journey into motherhood with a man she knows she shouldn’t love—this is a family that survives because giving up has never been an option.