Leaving Atlanta

Leaving Atlanta follows three fifth-grade classmates—Tasha Baxter, Rodney Green, and Octavia Harrison—during the summer of 1979, as Atlanta's African-American children were vanishing. By 1982, twenty-nine would be found murdered. As the school year approaches, the children must navigate a transformed world marked by safety lessons, frightened parents, and pervasive fear. The novel captures their struggle to grow up and survive during this period, portraying childhood with attention to both small victories and deep hurts. It examines how sudden changes and external forces beyond their control can push young people into adulthood and permanently alter the course of their lives.