From Publishers Weekly
When Talley's high school buses in whites, she finds herself drawn into a labyrinth of drugs, heavy metal and sexual attraction. "A sad but resoundingly effective story," said PW. Ages 13-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up Hamilton's novel works on at least five levels: within the personality of the protagonist, within her immediate circle, within her setting of school and neighborhood, between her world and the intrusive white world, and between the novel and the reader, especially if that reader is unfamiliar with the details of black urban American life. Talley's formerly all-black high school has been converted to an integrated magnet school for the entire district. This means an influx of white students. The culture shock is immediate and prolonged. Add to the mix drugs, heavy metal rock, Talley's struggles to establish her own values, and an almost unbearable level of adolescent sexual tension, and you have a very potent brew indeed. Talley and her circle of friends are effectively portrayed: Didi, her white best friend, hopelessly involved with Roady, who is crippled both in mind and body through drug use; David, his dealer, who now has his eye on Talley; and Victor, who is attempting to save her from her fixation on David. The setting of school corridors, city streets, and a rock concert right out of Hieronymous Bosch is equally real. The use of black English throughout may be a challenge to some readers, but is well worth the effort, since the book would be weakened in any other idiom. Not a happy book, but a vivid, even surrealistic and insightful depiction of painful relationships. Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C., Canada
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
