Stephanie Powell Watts crafts stories that delve into the lives of African Americans navigating the complexities of race and class in the post-integration American South. Her meticulously styled narratives explore themes of family, belonging, and the search for identity against backdrops of demanding jobs and itinerant ministry. Watts's work often captures the poignant realities and quiet struggles of individuals pushing against the confines of small-town life. Her approach, which she has likened to a modern, rural North Carolina reimagining of a classic tale with Black characters, offers profound insights into the American Dream and its elusive nature.
The ten stories in this resonant collection deal with both the ties that bind and the gulf that separates generations, from children confronting the fallibility of their own parents for the first time to adults finding themselves forced to start over again and again