For thirteen-year-old Sam it's not easy being the son of known civil
rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older brother (and
best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent
reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything
forever.
Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature
about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to
believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain
anymore.
Sam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect change
without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing
by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism
in their own community. Sam begins to explore the Panthers with Stick,
but soon he's involved in something far more serious--and more
dangerous--than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a
difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind
or his heart? The rock or the river?