by Daniel Black
First published 2025
Isaac has fled his Missouri home and his caustic father who crushed his artistic dreams and denied his true nature. In late 1980s Chicago, he builds a new life as a sensitive young Black man finally free to explore his identity and seek community. Just as Isaac begins to embrace who he truly is, two devastating events shatter his newfound happiness: the AIDS epidemic ravages his world while the Rodney King beating exposes the brutal reality of racial violence. At his therapist's urging, Isaac starts writing his story. This creative process awakens something powerful within him, pulling him back toward his family and his ancestral roots in Arkansas. His journey forces him to confront inherited trauma stretching back through generations of American history. When Isaac makes a startling discovery, he must choose between the painful truths it reveals and the carefully constructed life he has fought to create.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, african-american, coming-of-age, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotionally-resonant, intimate, introspective, lyrical, poignant, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-awakening, found-family, intergenerational-healing, journey-of-self-discovery
Setting: Missouri, Chicago, Arkansas
Period: 1980s, late 20th century
320 pages · Hardcover · Hanover Square Press
Content warnings: abuse, death, racism