Set against the backdrop of a prestigious cotillion in Queens, a young Yoruba navigates familial pressures and societal expectations. Her father remains indifferent, while her mother is eager to ascend the social ladder. Amidst this, her boyfriend's militant views add complexity to her journey. In a humorous twist, Yoruba rallies her fellow debutantes to confront the established elite, leading to a memorable and comedic showdown that highlights the clash between tradition and modernity in African-American culture.
"A major literary event-the eagerly anticipated publication of a long-lost novel from legendary writer and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee John Oliver Killens, hailed as the founding father of the Black Arts Movement and mentor to celebrated writers, including Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Arthur Flowers, and Terry McMillan. Wanderlust has taken Jimmy Jay Leander Johnson on numerous adventures, from Mississippi to Washington D.C., Vietnam, London and eventually to Africa, to the fictitious Independent People's Democratic Republic of Guanaya, where the young musician hopes to "find himself." But this small sliver of a country in West Africa, recently freed from British colonial rule, is thrown into turmoil with the discovery of cobanium-a radioactive mineral 500 times more powerful than uranium, making it irresistible for greedy speculators, grifters, and charlatans. Overnight, outsiders descend upon the sleepy capital city looking for "a piece of the action." When a plot to assassinate Guanaya's leader is discovered, Jimmy Jay--a dead ringer for the Prime Minister--is enlisted in a counter scheme to foil the would-be coup. He will travel to America with half of Guanaya's cabinet ministers to meet with President Ronald Reagan and address the UN General Assembly, while the rest of the cabinet will remain in Guanaya with the real Prime Minister. What could go wrong? Everything"--
V 60. letech, kdy Killens svůj slavný román psal, už bylo na obzoru slyšet hřmění nadcházejícího boje za rovná občanská práva. Ve 40. letech, kdy se román odehrává, však hřměla světem válka a černý důstojník jako hrdina knihy Solly Saunders se střetává v armádě USA s vypjatým rasismem a nerovností, které ústí do vzpoury.
Román z jihu Spojených států líčí obtížný a nejednotný boj černochů proti rasovému útisku. Výrazně je zobrazeno tragické postavení černošské matky, která bojuje za rovnoprávnost své rasy a v tomto duchu vychovává i své děti, zároveň však žije v obavách o osud své rodiny v prostředí plném nepřátelství, lstivosti a brutality.
