Fast Break

Mike Lupica’s Fast Break unfolds at the intersection of youth poverty and the US foster care system. In the United States, children are the group most vulnerable to poverty (Benson, Craig. “Child Poverty Rate Still Higher Than For Older Populations But Declining.” United States Census Bureau, 4 Dec. 2023). The reasons for this are complex and include the cost of child-rearing itself, compounded by other risk factors for poverty, such as stagnant wages (Haider, Areeba. “The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty.” Center for American Progress, 12 Jan. 2021). Child poverty also intersects with other forms of systemic inequality, including racism; Black and Latinx children are disproportionately likely to grow up amid economic precarity, which explains Jayson’s observation that most of the children who play basketball at “the Jeff,” a public housing project, are Black (Haider).

Poverty is also a significant factor leading to children entering state custody. According to the Children’s Bureau, a division of the US Department of Health & Human Services, neglect is the most common reason for a child’s removal from their home, representing some 75% of cases (“Data and Statistics: AFCARS.” Children’s Bureau, 2024). However, this “neglect” is often a manifestation of socioeconomic hardship, where caregivers lack the resources to provide adequate food, housing, or supervision (Haider). Jayson’s situation, though exacerbated by actual abandonment, reflects this reality. After his mother dies, he is left without financial support and must steal food to survive, living in fear of being discovered by Child Protective Services. His eventual placement into the system results from this complete lack of connections and resources.

The novel uses this context to explore themes of class and opportunity by placing Jayson with the Lawtons, an affluent family on the opposite side of town. This idealized placement starkly contrasts with the realities of the foster care system, which is often under-resourced. Many children experience instability through multiple placements or live in group homes with other foster children, a fate Jayson explicitly fears.