The late '60s and early '70s were turbulent times for young people, even those insulated away in white suburbs. In this novel, which obviously is based on the author's own experiences, high school senior Sam Stein of Great Neck, Long Island, has been nurtured through his entire life by Tutu, his baby name for the Black woman who lives in an attic room in his house and acts as nanny, housekeeper, and chef. As Sam becomes more aware of racism and more politically active, he also tries to be more attentive to Tutu's background and status, and defends her when his parents decide to “retire” her when her health declines. Sam is also influenced by his first girlfriend and sex partner, Kim, who has become involved with the Black Panther Party and the Weathermen in NYC. An older teenager, the spoiled, drug-addled Richard, takes Sam and Kim in to his East Village crash pad when they both decide to leave home. Their lives intersect dangerously with Leon, Tutu's naive grandson, who only wants to sing professionally and is deceived into joining Richard and Kim's scheme to provide Uzis to the revolutionary groups. If you were there, this story will resonate deeply for you; if not, you'll get a true sense of what those heady days were really like for white suburban kids who were examining their backgrounds and privilege and growing into an uneasy sense of their futures.

Quote: "When the audience leaves the theater, they become the actors: people trade roles all the time. History is as much the record as the deed." ( )