With one life to live, and a nothing-else-to-lose attitude, Zenetta Henchman speaks more than she listens and refuses to take orders quietly.  With a strong personality and wisdom beyond her young years because of what she’s experienced, after witnessing a fatal incident that both rocks and divides her community of Buzzardville, Alabama, Zenetta finds it difficult to hold her tongue. But harder not to, even after suffering—and watching others suffer—from the consequences of doing so.

Following a string of deliberate attacks against Zenetta and the people she cares about, especially Tootsie, the free-spirted, colorful personality that paints a different picture of the world in Zenetta’s eyes, tribal tensions flare. The flare turns into an all-out explosion after Zenetta’s father, the only Black officer on the force, chooses the wrong side of the law when the community, but more importantly when Zenetta, needs him most. It’s not long after her father’s betrayal that Zenetta soon discovers there is always a price to be paid when those who could speak up choose to remain silent. 

The Price We Pay is an unforgettable reading experience that fictionalizes the humanity, injustices, and social prejudice of our time. The emotional drama, trauma, and tension that conflicts—and often torments—Zenetta is so well translated by author Nikki T. Anthony from the pages to your soul, making Zenetta’s reality yours, this story leaves you asking yourself what price you are willing to pay for silence . . . or for speaking up.