If Durham had earned a solid reputation throughout the nation, black people in the South held it in even higher regard. For them, the city represented something new under the Southern sun: a place where anyone could prosper.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: The story of this book is set in Durham and the author wants the reader to be aware of the city’s reputation. Davidson spends considerable time in the beginning of the book boosting Durham as a place of racial harmony and then gradually breaks this myth by exposing the stark racial and class divisions.

“Ann Wilson was seated in the colored section of the nearly empty Trailways bus with two-year-old Lydia sprawled across her lap.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Two things make this quote about Ann’s arrival in Durham important. First of all, even though Durham is supposed to be welcoming for blacks, there is still a colored section of the bus. Also, we...