First published 1995
Denise Palms returns to her family in Detroit in 1963, where she struggles to carve out her own space in a household preparing for a new arrival. Her mother expects another baby, a change that will end Denise's afterschool sessions with a demanding teacher who pushes her to master standard English as a tool for being heard in the world. Denise faces the challenge of fitting into her reunited family while grappling with questions about how she should speak and who she should become. Verdelle captures the precise moments when Denise begins to understand herself, revealing the workings of a young mind coming into its own. The novel explores the tension between family expectations and personal growth, between different ways of speaking and being heard. At its heart, this is a story about a girl discovering her own voice while navigating the complex terrain of identity, language, and belonging in a changing America.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, african-american, coming-of-age, family-drama, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-dynamics, finding-ones-voice
Setting: Detroit
Period: 1963
312 pages · Hardcover · Algonquin Books