The Real Education of TJ Crowley

In the explosive summer of 1968, a white teen from a bigoted family is forced to take sides when a Black family and their teenage daughter move into the house next door, setting the stage for a heart-pounding story of racial awakening in a time too similar to our own.

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sparks violent protests across the nation and Wichita, Kansas, is no exception. The new Fair Housing Act should open doors of opportunity for Blacks, but instead they face hostility and violence moving into all-white neighborhoods.. Nevertheless, Dr. Robert Washington and his family will not be deterred from crossing the red line to their dream house. But their neighbors, the Crowleys, have ties to the Ku Klux Klan and are hell-bent on keeping the Washingtons from making themselves at home.

The summer before junior high has been a real bummerl for TJ. His dad unexpectedly takes off and his brother joins the army to fight in Vietnam, leaving TJ alone in the house on the hill with his racist, unhinged mother Kate. As riots erupt under the nightly curfew, they lock their doors tight. Kate drowns her fears with alcohol, while TJ keeps watch at the living room window as firebombs light the sky.

Next morning, early, the doorbell rings, and Kate loses her mind about the strange man standing on her porch. She calls her old flame,"Uncle Ray" a convict and Klansman, " who quickly arrives to harass and intimidate the Washingtons. To calm Kate's nerves, smooth talking Ray talks TJ into helping to build a privacy fence on the property line. Despite the barrier, TJ can still hear his future classmate, Ivy, practicing her cheerleading routines, and the doctor singing spirituals in his converted garage.

As summer fades into fall, it's time for TJ and his dorky best friend, Eric, to move up to junior high school. As rebels with long hippie hair, tie-dye clothes, and a brief dabble with drugs; TJ's wrong-headed beliefs are being challenged in social studies class and rap sessions with new classmates: Ivy, the self-assured soul sister from next door; and Andy, the brainy new Black kid from Birmingham, Alabama.

Ignoring his mother's orders, TJ bravely visits the doctor's home. His education continues as he enters their house and gains a newfound perspective. As the school year continues, TJ is banned from the basketball team due to his poor grades and behavior. But the doctor gives him secret backyard shot put lessons, and TJ joins the track team. With the doctor's coaching, his progress is amazing, and he and his team makes a great showing at the city championship track meet turns out great for TJ and his team!

Just as TJ's life is finally starting to turn around, Ray, knowing all about TJ's secret visits with the Washingtons, returns to Wichita with a vengeance In and TJ's world is thrown into chaos. In a dramatic and gripping conclusion, TJ is faced with a life-altering decision and must choose between ignorance and knowledge and decide which side of the fence will make him feel truly at home.