Piri Thomas
(b. 1928)

John Peter Thomas grew up in Spanish Harlem–a section of northern New York City with a large Hispanic population. He informally changed his name to Piri while still a youth. While serving time in jail as a young man, he earned his high school equivalency and began to write about his life. Later he published an autobiography called Down These Mean Streets, which describes his experiences in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods. His struggle to find his racial identity runs throughout his work. He wrote two more autobiographical works–Savior, Savior, Hold My Hand and Seven Long Times.

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