Berries Goodman is nine years old when his family leaves the city for suburban life. He struggles to fit in until he meets another outsider who becomes his closest friend. The two boys bond over their shared status as loners in their new neighborhood. But their friendship faces a serious test when prejudice tears them apart. Berries must navigate the painful reality that the adult world's biases can destroy even the strongest childhood bonds. This story explores how discrimination affects young friendships and forces a boy to confront ugly truths about his community. Berries learns that moving to a new place doesn't guarantee a fresh start when old prejudices follow you there.
Genres: fiction, family-life, american-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: City, Suburb
Period: 20th-Century
Hardcover · Listening Library
Content warnings: racism