As the civil rights struggle heats up in Texas, two familiesone white, one blackfind common ground. This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967 Texas, against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston’s color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman. Semi-fictionalized, this story has its roots solidly in very real events. The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature for older teens and adults.