The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of
the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who
has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South.
On Gabriel's twelfth birthday, he gets a new bike--and is so excited
that he accidentally rides it right into the path of a car. Fortunately,
a Black man named Meriwether pushes him out of the way just in time, and
fixes his damaged bike. As a thank you, Gabriel gets him a job at his
dad's auto shop. Gabriel's dad hires him with some hesitation, however,
anticipating trouble with the other mechanic, who makes no secret of his
racist opinions.
Gabriel and Meriwether become friends, and Gabriel learns that
Meriwether drove a tank in the Army's all-Black 761st Tank Battalion in
WWII. Meriwether is proud of his service, but has to keep it a secret
because talking about it could be dangerous. Sadly, danger finds
Meriwether, anyway, when his family receives a frightening threat. The
South being the way it is, there's no guarantee that the police will
help--and Gabriel doesn't know what will happen if Meriwether feels
forced to take the law into his own hands.