It's the 1960s, the time for equal rights, peace, and love. But for Ellen Manery, it's the time to work hard and finish high school early. Isolated and driven, Ellen feels like she was born an outsider. Tony Paul knows what it's like to be on the outside. Living on an Indian reserve near a small town, he goes to the local high school, but his heritage and the color of his skin stand him apart. When Ellen and Tony meet they are quickly drawn to each other's difference.

The Way It Is tells a moving story of first love and discovery set against the backdrop of the push and pull between new ways of thinking and old. Ellen, who wants to be a doctor, embodies the new possibilities for women at this time, and the struggles they still had to go through to be taken seriously. Tony has had to face prejudice his whole life and at has reconciled himself to a future of limited choices because he is Indian. Throughout the story - through their friendship and their belief in each other - they find a happiness and strength that allows them to pursue the future they want.

This well-crafted novel will resonate with adults and younger readers alike as it brings home how far we have come, and also how many barriers are still left to be broken down.