Darktown: A Novel

"Set in Atlanta just after World War II, Darktown chronicles the progress of two young black veterans who’ve been chosen to integrate the Atlanta Police Department — over strenuous objections of most of the city. How they manage to do that (with the under-the-table help of a few well-intentioned white colleagues) as the city’s racial tensions continue to rise makes for a riveting read. And the police-community tensions will sound sadly familiar."