This book is a captivating novel that explores themes of racism, family, identity, and the power of love. Liggens does a fantastic job of creating complex and believable characters, and her writing is both beautiful and powerful. The novel follows James Paul Taylor, a young man whose life is changed when his girlfriend Theola informs him that she’s pregnant. Being young, black, and without a job, he must do what he can in order to do right by himself and his future child. This story does an excellent job of depicting the racism difficulties people have in such a scenario. But throughout it all, James works to overcome because of the power of hope, God, and the love of his family. The book ends setting up a follow-up of things to come, as the final pages will make you wonder what’s going to happen. I quite enjoyed this and am reading the follow-up to see how the story will conclude. Overall, this is a well-written and thought-provoking novel. It is a must-read for anyone interested in coming-of-age stories, novels that explore social issues, or simply well-written literature.