{"product_id":"these-heathens-mia-mckenzie-9780593596944","title":"These Heathens","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this vibrant, gratifying novel, a pious, small-town teenager travels to Atlanta to get an abortion and finds herself smack in the middle of the civil rights movement and the secret lives of queer Black people.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhere do you get an abortion in 1960 Georgia, especially if the town midwife goes to the same church as your parents? For seventeen-year-old Doris Steele, the answer is Atlanta, where her favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucas, calls upon her brash, wealthy childhood best friend, Sylvia, for help. While waiting to hear from the doctor who has agreed to do the procedure, Doris spends the weekend scandalized by, but drawn to, the people who move in and out of Sylvia's orbit: celebrities whom Doris has seen in the pages of \u003ci\u003eJet \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eEbony\u003c\/i\u003e, political leaders like Coretta Scott King and Diane Nash, women who dance close together, atheists! And even more shocking? Mrs. Lucas seems right at home. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe young people Doris encounters are no less surprising. When he's not flirting too hard or talking too much, Sylvia's nephew, Dexter, brings Doris into the heart of Atlanta's civil rights movement, where some activists practice nonviolence to prepare for sit-ins, while others carry guns to protect Black families from the Klan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the guests at a queer kickback to the student activists at a SNCC conference, Doris suddenly finds herself surrounded by so many people who seem to know exactly who or what they want. Doris knows she doesn't want a baby, but what \u003ci\u003edoes\u003c\/i\u003e she want? Will this trip help her find out? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThese Heathens!\u003c\/i\u003e is a funny, poignant story about Black women's obligations and ambitions, what we owe to ourselves, and the transformative power of leaving your bubble, even for just one chaotic weekend.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mia McKenzie\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0593596943\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593596944\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/17\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs","brand":"Mia McKenzie","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46451008209151,"sku":"9780593596944","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d198b734-3677-4ce3-b3d4-d2af4e02154b.jpg?v=1735876163","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/these-heathens-mia-mckenzie-9780593596944","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}