A low-income Baltimore neighborhood is targeted for a controversial urban renewal project— an amusement park in the theme of Baltimore itself— that forces its residents to reckon with racism, displacement, and their futures. Peter Cryer is a queer teenager who fantasizes about leaving Baltimore and the instability of his home life while also seeking a place to belong. Ruth Anne, his prickly mother, is terrorized by her estranged husband and the indecision of what to do after the wrecking ball comes through her neighborhood. Thomas, a cleric and History teacher at Peter's school, questions his vocation in the face of the neighborhood's destruction. These three voices braid together a portrait of a neighborhood in flux, the role of community and violence in our time, and the struggles of a very real and oft misunderstood city.
- ISBN10 1625570430
- ISBN13 9781625570437
- Publish Date 24 March 2023
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Black Lawrence Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 372
- Language English