Born in a small South Georgia town in 1946, Bay McQueen, a beautiful African American woman, struggles to understand the turbulent world around her. Her unstable home life creates problems, especially since her parents know nothing about raising three daughters. Worse, she discovers prejudice against her from other African Americans simply because she has a darker complexion. Bay is a teenager during the 1960s when the South becomes a hotbed of political and civil unrest. Several months after Bay graduates from high school, her mother pressures her to fi nd work. She makes an appointment at the employment agency and meets Bill Durkeston, a young employment officer who also happens to be white-and the sparks between the two are immediate. Bill helps Bay acquire her fi rst job as a bank teller, and it is clear that he is smitten by her beauty. But the racial taboos discourage Bay from pursuing the relationship. Unfortunately, she can't stop thinking about Bill, even after he marries someone else. He feels the same, and their desire for each other never subsides. Filled with vivid details of the South during the 1960s, The Wounded Whole is a compelling novel of love, race relations, and the illusion of reality.