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 Story: In the 1940s pre-civil rights south, this novel tells the struggles of a young WWII hero and local star athlete's attempt to pursue his baseball career and the love of his life, amid interference from his family. Set in and around Durham, North Carolina's Negro community.
After returning home to Durham, North Carolina as a World War II hero and his community's favorite son, Warren "Dean" Stroud struggles to rebuild his life and baseball career in the Negro Leagues. His romantic pursuit of Alicia Henderson, a beautiful but strong-headed young woman, does not meet with the approval of his doting sisters. His oldest sister, Iola, does not like Alicia's family, so she and her best friend, Emma Webb, conspire to interfere with the relationship and link him with Calli Dey, Emma's niece.
This story tells of the inter-family rivalries and jealousies rife in this small tight-knit Southern community, that lead to the accidental death of Dean's youngest sister. A tragedy that spirals into a series of events that create devastating emotional effects in his life and the lives of people around him.
In the cultural flavor and rhythm of the emerging black middle class of the post WWII south, this tale delves into the delicate balance of love, family, ambition and the missteps that lead from opportunity to disaster.
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