The Burning Sands
She navigates the minefield of racial politics and manages to find friendship and love which transcend race and class.
The novel is set during the tremendous social and political upheaval of seventies America: the war in Vietnam raging, the continuing Civil Rights struggle, emerging Feminist ideas and the first generation of young women with access to The Pill. In addition, there is a Flower Power counter-culture: drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and sex sans shame or guilt are integral to that ethos. The main character, Julena Brandee, a young African-American, wins a Scholarship to a prestigious ‘Big Ten’ University which has been newly de-segregated. She navigates the minefield of racial politics and manages to find friendship and love which transcend race and class.