Guests in the Promised Land

Kristin Hunter's collection gathers eleven short stories about growing up Black in America in the early 1970s. Told mostly through the eyes of children and teenagers, the stories weigh the promises made to young Black people against the world they actually find. In one, a small boy tries to give his beloved dog a proper burial in a pet cemetery meant only for white families' animals; in another, a girl is readied for her first formal debut by a mother set on seeing her climb. Other stories take on white helpers who are sure they know best, pressure to fit in within the community, and parents who push their children toward a life that belongs to neither world. The book was a 1974 National Book Award finalist for children's books.