The Hottest Summer Ever — Multiple Authors

Follow this coming-of-age story of Summer Barnes, daughter of Nathaniel “Big Nate” Barnes, one of the most notorious kingpins on the South Side of Chicago. After finding out about a possible adultery between his wife and best friend, Big Nate goes into a violent rage, seeking answers from his supposedly loyal wife. One thing leads to another during the midst of the quarrel, Big Nate ends up murdering his wife in front of his two young daughters, Summer and Serena, and then eventually turns the gun on himself.
Witnessing the bloody murder-suicide before their young eyes proves to be extremely traumatic to the girls, especially Summer, the eldest. She quickly realizes that after her parents' death, her and sister will be going off into an unknown, dark future and they have no one else to support them other than themselves.
Relying on each other for love and comfort, the girls suddenly are thrown into the complicated and unsympathetic Illinois foster care system, hoping perhaps someone would come and rescue them. After months of praying, finally a generous, loving white family comes to the girl's rescue. Summer who is reluctant at first, eventually gives in to the idea of being reared by white people. Months pass, and the two sisters seem to be adjusting well to their new life until one day out of the blue, their mysterious grandfather, Granddaddy Rev. Luther Gaines, suddenly comes to take his granddaughters out of the foster care system and brings them back to the inner city where now the girls are forced to adjust to a completely new reality �" Grand Boulevard Towers, the most dangerous housing project in the entire city of Chicago.
Summer, who's all out defiant, initially tries to fight against the abrupt change, but finds herself going up against a formidable, dark, oppressive foe �" her strict, religious and overpowering grandfather. After using his brute force to discipline the girl into submission, Summer caves in and now is forced to adapt to this new hellish ghetto reality. She has to adjust to a new school, meet new friends and also deal with the tribulations of bullying, sexual harassment and other woes plaguing her surroundings.
Summer, looking for a way out, eventually gets keen to her surroundings and has a plan to leave the projects. One event leads to another, Summer eventually discovers a deep and dark hidden secret about her so-called religious grandfather that eventually changes her perception about her life. This secret uproots everything she assumed to be true about her mother and father. Now armed with information regarding the bizarre circumstances surrounding her parents' death, Summer goes on a mission to exact revenge. However, the mission will try her in so many ways that it even threatens to change her completely into a person she'd never thought she'd become -- a coldblooded, ruthless killer.

Read more about Summer's coming of age story in “The Coldest Summer Ever”.