Johnny Ross is growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. It is 1954, and he is 15 years old. The Civil Rights Era is in full swing as the black and white communities in the city interact while also being clearly divided. An interest in music definitely seems to bring people of all types together, though, particularly as Elvis Presley, in the early years of his career, seems to draw upon influences from the music of both races.

Johnny has always had an interest in music, and he is really into jazz. Beale Street is the jazz center of the city as well as being the core of black culture. He finds himself heading down there often despite his mother's displeasure. It is there that he meets and befriends Elvis, which leads to taking a position as janitor and gofer at Sun Records.

While he starts to see positive interactions between the races, the city's harsh realities don't fade away, particularly when a burning cross is set up in the black community by the Ku Klux Klan and he is also forced to choose whether or not to remain close to his best friend, an African American teen his mother disapproves of.

Johnny explores the realities of his time as well as what really makes him the person that he is. In the process, readers get a better understanding of the Civil Rights Era and the birth of rock & roll.

I have always seen Kidd as a strong historical fiction writer for teens, particularly with his Monkeytown, which explored the Scopes Monkey Trial. The writing in this book is just as strong, and it is very easy to get drown in to Johnny's world and the challenges he is facing. I did think the ending was a little rushed, and I am not sure how many teens would really be drawn into the book since most of the songs and musical figures are likely to be unfamiliar to them. It would be worth their giving it a try, though.