New York: Simon & Schuster, (1996.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - The author's first novel, a coming of age story which powerfully portrays the African American male experience. It starts in rural 1970s Louisiana where Jamie Ray Griffin is attending the newly integrated high school and chronicles Jamie Ray Griffin's difficult journey from naive teen to football star to cynical adult. SIGNED on the title page and dated in the year of publication. 316 pp. ISBN: 0-684822598.