“An evenly paced story line and clear-eyed narration to explore systemic prejudice…. resulting in a multilayered depiction of segregation and contemporary racism in America.” —Publishers Weekly

 

“This story offers an important perspective and is well suited for intergenerational sharing.”—Booklist

 

“The power of Black history and activism told simply; a good start for struggling middle grade readers just introduced to American history.”

—School Library Journal

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“An important story about an all-too-common contemporary tragedy and manages to be angry and hopeful at the same time….the book carries the weight of a difficult history and the urgency to carry on the fight.” —The Horn Book

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ABOUT THE BOOK

 

Lamar can’t wait to start his filmmaking career like his idol Spike Lee.  And leave behind his small town of Morton, Louisiana. But for now, Lamar has to learn how to be a filmmaker while getting to know his grandfather. 
 

When Gramps talks about his activism and Black history, Lamar doesn’t think much about it. Times have changed since the old Civil Rights days! Right? He has a white friend named Jeff who wants to be a filmmaker, too, even though Jeff’s parents never let him go to Lamar’s Black neighborhood. But there’s been progress in town. Right?

Then Gramps is killed in a traffic altercation with a white man claiming self-defense. But the Black community knows better: Gramps is another victim of racial violence. Protesters demand justice. So does Lamar. But he is also determined to keep his grandfather’s legacy alive in the only way he knows how: recording a documentary about the fight against injustice. 

From the critically acclaimed author and the publisher of Just Us Books, Wade Hudson comes a riveting, timely, and deeply moving story about a young Black filmmaker whose eyes are opened to racial injustice and becomes inspired to follow in his grandfather’s activist footsteps.