Whispers in the Dark
Walter Mosley 
<p>Ptolemy Bent--"Popo"--is different. At an age when most babies are cooing "Mama,<br>
" Popo was speaking in complete sentences. He was reading college textbooks when<br>
he was still too young for nursery school. Popo may just be the smartest human<br>
being on Earth. And he spends all his time listening to the radio . . . to white<br>
noise that comes drifting down from the sky like stardust. Chill Bent is a<br>
two-time loser with a hair-trigger temper. After the death of Popo's mother, the<br>
ex-con assumes responsibility for his nephew, vowing to protect the boy from a<br>
government eager to strip away his African-American heritage and exploit his<br>
genius like a natural resource. Together, Popo and Chill are about to embark on<br>
an extraordinary journey into the farthest reaches of the mind and the soul . .<br>
. a journey you will never forget.</p>