The Friends (1973)

Alice Walker, The New York Times: …Edith Jackson--She is fifteen. Her clothes are unpressed, her stockings bagging with big holes. Her knowledge of school is zero. She has no parents, she swears and she steals. But she is kind and offers her friendship and protection to Phyllisia. "And so begins the struggle that is the heart of this very important book: the fight to gain perception of one's own real character; the grim struggle for self-knowledge. RGG: Wonderful story of friendship between young adults and between adults. Allies come in all guises. Written in the 1970's, but issues are still current.

Alice Walker, The New York Times: …Edith Jackson--She is fifteen. Her clothes are unpressed, her stockings bagging with big holes. Her knowledge of school is zero. She has no parents, she swears and she steals. But she is kind and offers her friendship and protection to Phyllisia. "And so begins the struggle that is the heart of this very important book: the fight to gain perception of one's own real character; the grim struggle for self-knowledge. RGG: Wonderful story of friendship between young adults and between adults. Allies come in all guises. Written in the 1970's, but issues are still current.