First published 2016
August's chance reunion with a long-lost friend sparks bittersweet memories of their youth in 1970s Brooklyn. Back then, the girls - August, Sylvia, Angela, and Gigi - ruled their vibrant neighborhood, dreaming of bright futures. But beneath their carefree optimism lurked a dangerous underside, where predatory men threatened their innocence and family tragedies cast dark shadows. As August relives those formative years, Woodson poignantly explores the precarious transition from childhood to adulthood, where hope and trauma intertwine.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, family-drama, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: bittersweet, found-family
Setting: Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Period: 1970s
192 pages · Hardcover · Amistad
Content warnings: abuse