Jason Mott

Two Black writers - with stories to tell, and some they''d rather forget.One wins the big prize, gets the book tour, walks into the spotlight of global success.The other is about to walk into a place ripped apart by violence - a school that''s recently suffered a shooting - with only a speech to offer them.Some stories are simple, and stay neatly in the lines.This one wanders, bends time, breaks rules. This one has sea monsters, floating handguns and ridiculously tiny French cars.Some stories are true.This one is - mostly - made up.Some people turn the page and move on.Some people survive by forgetting.But those people? They''re not people like us.

This is a true story. An author goes on a book tour for his new bestseller which, as people keep telling him, is one hell of a book. This is a coming-of-age story. One morning, he meets The Kid: a young Black boy who looks just like the one he keeps seeing on the news. And The Kid wants him to tell his story. This is a sad story. It's the story of a boy who spent most of his life trying to hide. And it may not be that different from the story of our author. This is a love story. But to find out why, you'll have to read this for yourself.