A young girl comes of age during the 1950's in the south. Her world is no bigger than the two neighbor families and school. Her mother left her with her grandmother soon after she was born. Ludell call her grandmother "mama" because she is the only mother she's ever known. While mama takes in white folks' laundry and cleans their houses, Ludell goes about her days hanging out with Ruthie Ann and her siblings.
The author has written the dialogue and Ludell's inner monologue in the accent of the south and this made it a slower read, but the characters are so well drawn that it feels good to slow down your reading. ( )