First published 1990
Seventeen-year-old Cassie Logan dreams of college and law school while America prepares for World War II. But her plans take a dangerous turn when her friend Moe does something unthinkable in 1940s Mississippi: he fights back against white tormentors. The violent confrontation puts Moe's life at risk. He cannot stay in town without facing deadly consequences. Cassie joins her brother and friends in a desperate mission to get Moe out of Mississippi safely. They must travel the road to Memphis, where Moe might find refuge from the violence that threatens to destroy him. The third book in the Logan family saga shows Cassie navigating the brutal realities of racial hatred while trying to protect someone she cares about. Her journey tests her courage and forces her to confront the limits of what education can teach about survival in a hostile world.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Mississippi, Memphis
Period: 1940s
288 pages · Hardcover · Dial Books
Content warnings: racism, violence