Wooded Hollow Road, Boston suburbs, 1960-1979

The apparently idyllic suburban neighborhood of Wooded Hollow symbolizes the racism in the dark heart of mid-twentieth century American middle-class world. When the Goldberg family relocates to Wooded Hollow Road, a neighborhood for affluent Jewish families, they believe they are escaping the oppressive discrimination and tacit hate of Boston’s predominantly Catholic suburbs. With its quietly elegant split-level homes, its sweeping streets, and neatly manicured lawns, the neighborhood appears to promise the Goldberg family a comfortable and welcoming suburban environment. The problem is that the Goldberg family is not entirely Jewish. What the family discovers is that largely because of Yolanda’s ethnicity and her public advocacy of Latin American human rights, the neighbors shun her and her family. They are friendly but not friends. At school, Frank suffers pranks because of his mixed heritage. The suburbs give young Frank a lesson in...