by Andrew Young
Marcus Williams stands at his bedroom window, watching his neighborhood change around him. The young Black man feels caught between worlds as gentrification transforms his community and his family expects him to succeed in spaces where he often feels unwelcome. When Marcus lands an internship at a prestigious law firm, he must decide how much of himself to hide and how much to reveal. His grandmother's stories about the civil rights era clash with his own experiences of subtle discrimination and microaggressions. As Marcus struggles with code switching between home and work, he begins to question what success really means. The pressure builds when he witnesses an incident that forces him to choose between his career ambitions and his principles. Through relationships with his mentor, his childhood friend, and a fellow intern, Marcus discovers that authenticity requires courage. His journey becomes one of learning to honor both his heritage and his aspirations while finding his own voice in a world that often demands silence.
Genres: american-fiction, african-american, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: authenticity, fish-out-of-water
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
Content warnings: racism