It takes a village to raise a child. In this story, Khary ‘Kuttie’ Johnson
is the child and the village is a small community in the heart of Queens, NYC called Da Ville. Da Ville has nurtured Kuttie since he was born. Before attending Da Ville High School, many friends and family have helped him make key decisions in his life. Kuttie is now in his senior year of Da Ville High School and it’s time for him to choose his own path. With
all the key decisions he must make during this year, he is not alone. His main friends Mikey and Koolie guide him through many of his troubles.

Miguel ‘Mikey’ Lopez is from The Bronx and hates high school. He
only sees Da Ville High as a hang out spot for him and his cousin Paco. Paco, who dropped out of Da Ville High School in his senior year, has formed a gang called The Latin Dragons. With Mikey’s help, Paco sneaks into the high school lunchroom and recruits his gang members. Ironically, Kuttie met Mikey during his initiation into Paco’s gang. While in the lunchroom, Paco told Mikey to fight Kuttie because his cloths were the color blue. Instead of fighting, Mikey made Kuttie his friend when he found out that he was an artist. Paco has been putting hits
out on Kuttie every since.

Hassan ‘Koolie’ Punjabi is from India and transferred into Da Ville
High School in 11th grade. He also met Kuttie in the lunchroom. Both talented individuals, Koolie promised that he would combine his poetry with Kuttie’s artworks and form a business. His positive energy was a good alternative to Mikey’s negative influence on Kuttie. When Koolie graduated, Kuttie began to cut school and miss class. Mikey is the reason why Kuttie almost got left back in 11th grade.

A senior year in high school is the most challenging period for a teenager. In Da Ville High, Kuttie has many challenges to confront. Along with keeping his cousin out of trouble, Kuttie’s senior year is no walk in the park. Kuttie’s cousin, Vernon ‘Booduh’ Jackson, is a super senior and was supposed to graduate the same year Paco dropped out. He’s a hot-tempered football player who wants to make rap albums. He has a long suspension record and he’s involved with the love of Kuttie’s eye, Kiesha Tanik Hunter aka ‘Kee Kee’.

As you can see, Kuttie has a lot on his hands. His favorite outlet during this troubled time is ‘Da Shop’. ‘Da Shop’ is the nickname of the best barbershop in Da Ville, ‘Hair Force’. Hair Force is a barbershop owned by a very wise woman named Ms Patrice ‘Fannie’ Flowers. Ms Flowers gave Kuttie his first haircut and they’ve been close ever since. She taught Kuttie how to cut hair at the age of 9. As a result, Kuttie always saw Da Shop as his second home. While sweeping hair and running errands for Ms Flowers, Kuttie gets advice about life, love, and hard times. One day, she even told him that she’d have a permanent chair for him to work in when he was old enough.

Will Kuttie graduate from high school or give up? Will he stop Mikey from dropping out? Well he ever go out with Kee Kee? These questions and more will be asked while you ponder through Da Ville. Watch Kuttie as he grows up from a boy to a man!