This is the memoir of the coming-of-age story of African American John Stokes and how he, his sister and a group of fellow students brought about the desegregation of Robert Russa Moton High School. a small, all-black high school in rural Virginia in the 1950s, and how this action became part of the civil rights decision known as Brown v. Board of Education.

Fear makes me hide -- Growing up rich in spirit -- School days -- Life in the Jim Crow South -- Beating the system -- Lessons from Ned -- The sky did not fall -- Separate but never equal -- Our Manhattan project -- There's a riot at the school -- Taking care of business -- Don't give up -- Uncharted waters -- A skittish night -- Cover me -- Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County -- Massive resistance -- Standing on shoulders.