“When you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
"A deftly crafted, thought-provoking, and solid work of YA historical fiction." —Midwest Book Review
Named Book of the Year by the Kansas Authors’ Club
(Want the Audie Award-winning full-cast audio drama, with a Scriptbook to read along? Start here.)
In the explosive summer of 1968, a line is drawn. In a nation grieving the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that line runs straight through Wichita, Kansas—and right down 13-year-old TJ Crowley’s property line.
TJ’s summer is already in turmoil. With his father gone and his brother off to Vietnam, he’s left alone with his unhinged, racist mother who drowns her fears in alcohol. Her answer to the social upheaval is to lock the doors and trust in her old flame, a Klansman who vows to keep their all-white neighborhood pure.
Their resolve is immediately tested when the Washingtons, a Black family with a dream of a better life, move into the house next door. They are determined, dignified, and will not be intimidated.
Working alongside his racist "Uncle Ray" TJ helps build a privacy fence between the two houses. His mom swears that she'll ground him forever if he ever goes next door. But a fence can’t stop the sounds of his future classmate, Ivy, practicing her cheerleading routines. It can’t silence the spirituals sung by her father, Dr. Washington. And it cannot halt the questions stirring in TJ’s own mind.
As he is pulled deeper into the escalating conflict, TJ must begin his own real education: confronting the ugly truths of his heritage and discovering the humanity that fence is meant to deny. In a world demanding he choose a side, he is faced with a life-altering decision: take refuge in the hatred he’s always known or risk everything for the neighbors he is just beginning to understand.
The audio drama and Scriptbook edition
This novel was adapted into a full-cast audio drama that won the Audie Award for Best Young Adult Audiobook, paired with a Scriptbook made for reading along. See the Scriptbook and audio edition.
Content advisory: contains historically accurate racially offensive language, including the N-word, and depictions of racial injustice. Recommended for mature teens and adults.