Set in 1968 Chicago, this powerful debut novel follows 13-year-old Sam Childs, the son of a known civil rights activist who questions the possibility of change after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. nWinner of the ALA Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award, The Rock and the River was described in a Booklist starred review as a taut, eloquent first novel that] will make readers feel what it was like to be young, black, and militant. nThe Time: 1968 n The Place: Chicago n nFor thirteen-year-old Sam its not easy being the son of known civil rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever. n nSam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Sticks bed, hes not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore. n nSam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect change without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism in their own community. Sam beings to explore the Panthers with Stick, but soon hes involved in something far more serious--and more dangerous--than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind or his heart? The rock or the river?n