The Emancipation of Evan Walls is a culturally immersive book. Blount, the author, writes the story of Evan, a black boy, growing up in a rural Virginia town in the 1960s. With the encouragement of two adults in his life, Evan strives to succeed academically and overcome the race and class barriers he grew up with. Both the white and black population of his town, torment him, as he refuses to stick to the status quo. Blount's writing is sharp and the story of Evan's life unfolds beautifully. I highly recommend this title to fans of the historical fiction genre and hope to read more from this author in the future.