She wants more than her double-wide trailer, more than her dead father and drunk mother, and more than her clearance rack clothes. Her one comfort is the quirky and unpredictable Magnus: childhood best friend and member of the Dead Parent's Club.

Alex has it all: an award-winning neurosurgeon for a mother, a world-famous athlete for a father, brains, and brawn.

When Ivy and Alex get stuck as Chemistry partners, Ivy rejoices. Alex is her ticket to an easy semester, maybe even college.

But high school isn't enjoyable for any of them. Magnus is misunderstood, Ivy is poor, and Alex is the first black student in the entire school system.

By prom, their lives will completely change. One will learn who they really are, one will come to terms with their past, and one won't make it out alive.

How to Talk to Black People is an honest and challenging look at how we subconsciously teach those in our community about race and what we're willing to believe about ourselves based on those lessons.