Butler's second novel (after Sorority Sisters) deals sensitively with the impact of domestic abuse on an African-American family and the choices made by a young woman dealing with issues of self-doubt while seeking acceptance in her relationships. Nina Landers has just graduated with a B.A. in journalism and dreams of becoming a broadcast sports announcer. Until she lands a job and can afford her own apartment, she returns to Atlanta to live at home. There she discovers that all is not well between her parents: her mother Juanita's attempts to please her husband, Smitty, only result in her being the target of his rage. Nina and her brother, Brice, must finally acknowledge to each other that the relationship between their parents has worsened, and that Smitty's behavior is out of hand. Meanwhile, at a party with her good friend Janelle, Nina meets Maurice, a Georgetown graduate and basketball player soon to be drafted by the Miami Heat. She falls hard for the good-looking star, believing that he is everything she wants in a man; she is even willing to explain away his subsequent infidelity and temper. Eventually, she is forced to face up to reality and decide just who she really is—and whether she has been foolish to ignore the attentions of another, more loyal, suitor, a rapper she has known since high school. Building on the successful formula of her first novel, Butler continues to focus on the lives of sorority sisters as they make the transition from college coeds to young women dealing with life, the job market, love and relationships. 11-city author tour.(Oct. 9)
