Call Me by My Name by John Ed Bradley (review)

Narrator Rodney looks back upon how racial integration tardily made its way into his hidebound Louisiana town from the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, and particularly how “Tater,” a gifted black athlete and all ‘round great guy, forced Rodney and his white family to collectively confront their attitudes toward the new social order. Rodney is first across the line, quietly defying naysayers to nurture a dedicated friendship with Tater; Mom isn’t far behind, welcoming Tater into the family fold and treating him like all the rest of Rodney’s buddies. Dad’s having none of it; he takes barbed jabs at the boys’ friendship in the privacy of his own home but manages to keep a civil tongue around Tater, absenting himself from his presence whenever possible. Rodney’s twin sister, Angie, falls hard for Tater, and although at first the couple keeps their romance hidden—a stunning white cheerleader and a game-changing black quarterback are just a bit too much for the community to accept—they finally come into the open just before tragedy strikes. Yes, tragedy does strike, as seems inevitable from the tone of adult Rodney’s pain-laced memory, but it’s not the tragedy readers will expect, rendering the bittersweet what-ifs all the more complicated and poignant. With its tense but subtle plot trajectory structured by Rodney’s progress through high school, the novel adds nuance to the difficult American conversation on race with its honest examination of how a white youth, who sees himself on the vanguard of racial tolerance, is hit with his own limits when it comes to his beloved sister’s interracial romance. This compelling tale will foster both engaged group discussion and serious personal reflection.