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Race, Sign Language At Center Of Debut Novel 'We Love You, Charlie Freeman'

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Kaitlyn Greenidge is author of "We Love You, Charlie Freeman." (Syreeta McFadden)
Kaitlyn Greenidge is author of "We Love You, Charlie Freeman." (Syreeta McFadden)

Kaitlyn Greenidge's acclaimed debut novel "We Love You, Charlie Freeman" centers around an unusual scientific experiment: an African-American family's move from their mostly-black neighborhood to live at a research institute, in an almost all-white community.

The family is there to teach a chimpanzee sign language and to raise him as a member of the family while the researchers observe and take notes. It's a story about race and language and some difficult history.

Book Excerpt: 'We Love You, Charlie Freeman'

By Kaitlyn Greenidge

Excerpted from the book WE LOVE YOU, CHARLIE FREEMAN by Kaitlyn Greenidge. Copyright © 2016 by Kaitlyn Greenidge. Reprinted with permission of Algonquin Books.

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This segment aired on April 1, 2016.

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