In 1995, as rapper Eazy-E succumbds to AIDS, Raheim and Mitchell strive to be true to each other and to themselves. Raheim goes for an HIV test, his son fights racism at school, and his former girlfriend finds a new man. Even though it seems that Hardy had a checklist of issues to go over, this gorgeous love story stands out for its honest portrayals. Since this was the first by Hardy I'd read, I was thoroughly surprised and drawn into the story. The language was a bit challenging for me at first, but it got easier. I'm definitely interested now to read it from the beginning.