First published 2009
Benji is one of the only Black students at his elite Manhattan prep school. But each summer, he escapes to Sag Harbor, where a small African American community thrives. There, Benji and his friends have 3 glorious months to reinvent themselves, away from the white world they navigate all year. But this summer, Benji faces new challenges—from botched haircuts to Lite FM addiction—as he struggles to find his place in both worlds. At its heart, this is a tender, funny coming-of-age story about the elusive nature of identity.
Genres: fiction, family-life, african-american, coming-of-age, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Sag Harbor (N.Y.)
288 pages · Paperback · Vintage