Having grown up in the south I could totally understand the racial issues in the book. I happened to read the book while traveling from Reno, NV back to NC for my mother's funeral. The book provided a slight diversion to the events around me but it also made me listen a bit differently to many people from my childhood. Reading the "language" of the book and then being immersed in it for a week made me smile and think. Great book, beautifully written, excellent read.