This is a "Coming of age" book. A well to do teen graduates from high school and embarks on a summer long trek around the perimeter of Michigan. By his own moral ethic he is bound to accept a street boy as his companion. The black kid is enormous in stature but has a sweet gentle soul. The racial conflict threatens their relationship till the black kid nearly drowns while going through a spiritual episode to give one chills. The perils include brushes with the law, encountering a cult of gay cannibals on a deserted island, battling a pack of wild dogs and busting out with teen age sexual growth. You won't put it down till it's finished.