Roller: A Dirt Road Sport

 In Roller, Julian Morgan has brilliantly recaptured boyhood in rural Georgia in the early 1950s. Roller's appearance and personality seem to be in perfect harmony. His clear green eyes punctuate an air of innocence, yet they sparkle with just a hint of mischief. The South Georgia sun has freckled his young complexion, and he glows with an out- doorsy nature. In this year between boyhood and manhood, he learns from the discipline of a strong mother, still more from a father trying to keep the family financially healthy during a drought. And in his numerous adventures during this crucial year, he is helped and guided by Cooper, a black man of gentle wisdom who understands the ways of youngsters struggling toward manhood.