Generally speaking, this book is very mysterious and generally a very exciting and well told story.
But I have to say that there are some incredible books that center on the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960's written by Black authors that I'd recommend much sooner. 
I feel uncomfy with certain details of Black death and racial slurs coming from the pen of a white writer. 

Aside from all that, this book completely centers on Good White Folks and how innocent and helpless they are against the bigots that surround them. Every single Black person in this story is used to show how good the white main character is and exists for no other reason.