Most novelists shy away from such weighty topics, but Toni Cade Bambara isn't anything like most writers. So when considering a story about the missing, murdered Atlantan youth, Bambara faced enormous challenges. In the novel, Bambara follows the personal crisis of Marzala Rawls Spencer, a mother of three. The distressed mother is at the end of her rope. The author presents an intense portrait of a city under seige.
Armed helicopters fly overhead.
Bullhorns bellow to stay indoors. Atlanta becomes a magnet for every bounty hunter, kook, amateur sleuth, and psychic as the town speculates over the identity of the killers. The novel includes Wayne Williams' arrest, however the murders in Atlanta did not cease with his conviction. I would be remiss if I failed to warn you of the challenging nature of this book. At times, it can be difficult to follow the non-linear plot and the huge cast of characters, not to mention the bleak subject matter.