New York: Viking, 1994. dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - First novel by this African American writer. Winner of the Before Columbus Foundation award. Perhaps even more relevant now than when it was published, since it deals with the issue of whether or not cocaine-addicted mothers can be prosecuted. INSCRIBED on the title page (For -- with warm regards") and dated in the year of publication. 260 pp. ISBN: 0-670-852635.