In this story we get to see Johnny O'Brien grow up to a teen with his black mother named Phala.
His father is white and was not around to raise him. Johnny looks white but is raised in a ghetto type neighborhood.
When he is a teen his mother is gang raped and put into a mental institute.
This is where the story really begins, when Johnny meets a guy street named "Blue" because of his dark skin. He takes Johnny under his wing as a partner in the con game and teaches it to Johnny.
Blue street names Johnny "White Folks". Blue's whole life is "Con" and he believes that with a black partner who looks white he will be able to run the con on a larger group of people. Which turns out to be true,
I had a good time reading about the different ways that they conned people and all their trials along the way.
The book is comical in some parts.
Blue really takes on a fatherly role for "White Folks" as his relationship with his lesbian daughter is not as close as he would like.
I liked being taken to a whole different world while reading this book. Late 50's early 60's. The way they talked the slang and the price's of things - I really loved this book. White Folks and Blue go through a lot of drama - that they bring on themselves
Paperback
312 pages
Dimensions (in inches): 0.72 x 6.84 x 4.19
Publisher: All America Distributors Corp;
ISBN: 0870679775
Reissue edition (June 1, 1996)