A black woman recalls the anguish of her childhood in Arkansas teenage days in northern slums

Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway, occupied with the last-minute details of party preparation, finds her thoughts on a very different route through the past.

"A story of loss, family secrets, and how the darkest truths are often hidden nearest to you"--

"These stories are specific to one legendary riverfront plateau and one boy's journey, but are emblematic of immigrant life and blue-collar aspirations during the heyday of American industry and its crash, foreshadowing one of the largest internal migrations in U.S. history. Approximately six million baby boomers, like the narrator, fled the Rust Belt. Another six million remained and stories of their youth, struggles, and aspirations echo throughout...

In the very white, very Christian world of Atlanta society in 1958, New York transplant Ruth decides not to tell her new high school friends and boyfriend that she is Jewish, but when a violent act rocks the city, Ruth must figure out where her loyalties lie. Summer, 1958. After her father's death, Ruth Robb's family moves from New York City to Atlanta. Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can't be both, and decides...