Willie Bosket singlehandedly changed the criminal justice system in New York, spurring legislation that tried young teens as adults after he shocked lawmakers with his lack of remorse for two homicides. However, as Butterfield’s book points out, as much as the Bosket family impacted society, the far greater tale is how society shaped the Boskets. Butterfield’s novel is a riveting look at the persisting legacy of race and class divisions, and the way that a child’s experience in America may be determined by his ancestors.
