Incredibly, they are still the only black family in the area, and Blake gives a nuanced portrayal of an anxious mother increasingly stressed out by the home ownership issue and her son's social problems at his all-white school.

WSJ: Review: Racism fuels poignant 'Luck Of The Irish'

An anxious heat entered my eight-year-old mind and I curled up in bed, hoping Mother would pay me one of her night visits, kiss my forehead, lie beside me.

NEWYORKER: Naima