The story takes place in 1966 in a small Texas town along the banks of the Wichita river, just four miles north of Black's real hometown, Archer City. Thirteen-year-old Jim is looking forward to a summer of baseball, tomfoolery, and - most of all - fishing. Fishing is Jim's passion. He cherishes the solitude of his secluded fishing hole and is startled when he discovers a stranger named Sam, an older African American man from the other side of town, fishing in his favorite spot. Initially troubled by the intrusion, Jim soon becomes attached to Sam and sees him as something of a father figure. So begins a remarkable relationship.

Jim and Sam discuss such difficult subjects as the death of Jim's alcoholic father, Sam's years playing baseball in the Negro Leagues, the racial tension in their community, and the confusion of Jim's first crush. This touching novel about camaraderie and growing pains is sure to resonate with anyone who came of age in small-town America. Bookpage called it "a sensitively rendered story about race, friendship, and freedom. This quiet coming-of-age novel has all the makings of a classic."

Biography provided by Penguin Group USA.