First published 1999
Peejoe watches his Aunt Lucille pack her bags and head for Hollywood with stars in her eyes and secrets in her past. While she chases her dream of television fame in California, he stays behind in small town Alabama where the civil rights movement is reshaping everything he thought he knew about his world. The changing South of the 1960s creates a backdrop of tension and transformation as both aunt and nephew navigate their separate journeys. Lucille pursues her acting ambitions in a glittering world far from home, while Peejoe confronts the realities of growing up in a place where old ways are crumbling and new ones haven't yet taken hold. Their parallel stories of dreams and disillusionment reveal the complex bonds of family and the price of pursuing what you want most.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, parallel-narratives, pursuit-of-dreams
Setting: Alabama, California, Hollywood
Period: 1960s
Library Binding · Bt Bound