First published 1998
In the black neighborhood of Homewood, Pittsburgh, generations navigate the changing currents of American life. Wideman draws readers into this community as it transforms from the exuberant 1920s through the drug-laden 1970s. The residents of Homewood struggle to maintain their connections to each other and their sense of place as social forces reshape their world. Through interconnected stories spanning five decades, the novel reveals how families and friendships endure despite poverty, addiction, and violence. The neighborhood itself becomes a character, its streets and houses holding memories that bind the community together. Wideman weaves together the voices of multiple generations, showing how the past lives on in the present. The book captures both the vitality and the pain of urban black life, revealing the deep bonds that sustain people through hardship. At its heart, this is a story about belonging and survival in a place where both hope and despair run deep.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, 20th-century, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, multigenerational
Setting: Homewood, Pittsburgh
Period: 1920s, 1970s
216 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books
Content warnings: addiction, violence