Oak Ridge, Atlanta

The fictional Atlanta neighborhood of Oak Ridge provides the setting for most of the novel’s action. The upscale, predominantly white neighborhood includes Brasleton Prep and the houses of most of Justyce’s classmates. Justyce feels safe and protected in the neighborhood until the opening scene of the novel, when racial profiling by the police forces him to acknowledge that others see his skin color as a bar to entry in the posh neighborhood. Both that first event and Manny’s death occur on the supposedly safe and quiet streets of Oak Ridge.

Braselton Prep, Atlanta

Braselton Preparatory Academy is the high-achievement private school that Justyce, Manny, SJ, and Jared and his friends all attend. Unlike the others, Justyce can only afford the school thanks to significant scholarship funding, a fact which makes him uncomfortable and aware of his difference. Most of the school’s students...