

But when their, eh, superpowers proved insufficient, the group fell apart.

In the old days, the Ribkins family tried to apply their gifts to the civil rights effort, calling themselves The Justice Committee. And Johnny himself can make precise maps of any space you name, whether he's been there or not.

His brother could scale perfectly flat walls. For example, Johnny's father could see colors no one else could see. What may or may not be useful to Johnny as he flees is that he comes from an African-American family that has been gifted with superpowers that are a bit, well, odd. Du Bois essay (Toni Morrison)Īt seventy-two, Johnny Ribkins shouldn't have such problems: He's got one week to come up with the money he stole from his mobster boss or it's curtains. Winner of the William Faulkner, William Wisdom PrizeĪ family with superpowers stumble in their efforts to succeed in life in this "original and wildly inventive" novel about race, class, and politics-based on a W.E.B. Winner of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award
