The Black Kids

It's 1992, and Ashley Bennett and her friends are about to finish high school. Ashley has grown up in an affluent family in Los Angeles and her friends are just like her, skipping school to spend time at the beach, hanging out together, laughing, swimming, with few cares. Or so it might seem.

But Ashley's sister is struggling, and even though her family is rich, they face the obstacles of being black in America, and Ashley hasn't been accepted at the college of her choice, and her friend's boyfriend is awfully appealing to her....and then the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King are acquitted...

Christina Hammonds Reed is a marvelous writer, with fresh images and intriguing characters and a great story. I was completely swept up in this novel, reading through to the end in one big gulp.