Which major social issue frames the novel's setting in the 1960s South?

• A. Racial segregation and Civil Rights tensions
• B. Immigration policy debates of the 1990s
• C. Economic depression of the Great Recession
• D. Industrial decline of the 1970s

Answer: (A)

Racial segregation and Civil Rights tensions are what frame the setting in the 1960s South. The era’s laws and social norms create a world where white and Black communities live with separate facilities, unequal opportunities, and the looming push for desegregation. This atmosphere shapes how characters interact, what options are available to them, and the kinds of risks they take, making issues of race, identity, and belonging central to the story and the protagonist’s growth. Other options point to decades and issues that aren’t part of this book’s historical backdrop, so they don’t fit the setting as it’s depicted.