Third and Indiana
1994 novel by Steve Lopez
Third and Indiana is a novel written by Steve Lopez about the experiences of several people connected to 14-year-old Gabriel Santoro, while living in the dangerous gang-controlled streets of the Badlands section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The novel gave notoriety to Third Street and Indiana Avenue, a real-life intersection in the Fairhill area known for the prevalence of drug dealers. The first printing had 50,000 copies printed. Published in 1994, it was Lopez's first novel.
Plot
Gabriel Santoro, a 14-year-old boy, runs away from home when he learns that people in the drug dealing gang he works for, the Black Caps, suspect him of stealing drug money; he owes $2,000. He hides away in the house occupied by Eddie Passarelli, a man from South Philadelphia who himself owes money to the mafia and whose marriage deteriorates after he leaves his home and his affair is discovered; his girlfriend then proceeds to break up with him. Meanwhile, Ofelia, the mother of Gabriel, searches for him on her bicycle.
Eddie and Gabriel work together to get themselves out of their situations. The head of the Black Caps, Diablo, pursues Gabriel, trying to find him and kill him. In the novel Diablo kills Lalo Camacho, Gabriel's friend, and Father Laetner, an activist priest who works with Ofelia.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Third and Indiana” as 1994 novel by Steve Lopez. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1994 novel by Steve Lopez. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7785039. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1994.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Third and Indiana”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Third and Indiana primary sources, Third and Indiana archive and Third research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Third and Indiana”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Third and Indiana” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.