This narrative brings you into the lives of an extended family as seen first by the author at a young age, at the beginning of World War II. As you follow him, you first enter his strong friendships with black children in south Alabama. His parents try to introduce prejudice and send him to an all white summer school and, later, grammar school. McNutt was haunted by the loss of his black friends and wrote his first essay on disappearance and death, for which his teacher gave him an excellent grade.

The family moved to Tucson, Arizona, for McNutt's health and education. The family...