The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death, and America's Dilemma Paperback - 1999
by Alex Kotlowitz
When the body of a black teenager is found in the St. Joseph's River, unhealed wounds and suspicions surface between two Michigan towns. Beautifully written and painstakingly reported, "The Other Side of the River" sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery and with others.
First line
This much is not in dispute.
From the rear cover
Alex Kotlowitz's "There Are No Children Here was more than a bestseller; it was a national event. His beautifully narrated, heartbreaking nonfiction account of two black boys struggling to grow up in a Chicago public housing complex spent eight weeks on "The New York Times bestseller list, was a made-for-television movie starring and produced by Oprah Winfrey, won many distinguished awards, and sparked a continuing national debate on the lives of inner-city children.
In "The Other Side of the River, his eagerly awaited new book, Kotlowitz takes us to southern Michigan. Here, separated by the St. Joseph River, are two towns, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Geographically close, they are worlds apart, a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St. Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community and ninety-five percent white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and ninety-two percent black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes, inevitably, a screen on which each town projects their resentments and fears.
"The Other Side of the River sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. In this gripping and ultimately profound book, Alex Kotlowitz proves why he is one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race.
"From the Hardcover edition.
From the jacket flap
Alex Kotlowitz's "There Are No Children Here was more than a bestseller; it was a national event. His beautifully narrated, heartbreaking nonfiction account of two black boys struggling to grow up in a Chicago public housing complex spent eight weeks on "The New York Times bestseller list, was a made-for-television movie starring and produced by Oprah Winfrey, won many distinguished awards, and sparked a continuing national debate on the lives of inner-city children.
In "The Other Side of the River, his eagerly awaited new book, Kotlowitz takes us to southern Michigan. Here, separated by the St. Joseph River, are two towns, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Geographically close, they are worlds apart, a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St. Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community and ninety-five percent white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and ninety-two percent black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes, inevitably, a screen on which each town projects their resentments and fears.
"The Other Side of the River sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. In this gripping and ultimately profound book, Alex Kotlowitz proves why he is one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race.
"From the Hardcover edition.
Details
- Title The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death, and America's Dilemma
- Author Alex Kotlowitz
- Binding Paperback
- Edition [ Edition: Repri
- Pages 336
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
- Date January 19, 1999
- ISBN 9780385477215 / 038547721X
- Weight 0.55 lbs (0.25 kg)
- Dimensions 8.06 x 5.22 x 0.79 in (20.47 x 13.26 x 2.01 cm)
-
Themes
- Cultural Region: Great Lakes
- Cultural Region: Midwest
- Geographic Orientation: Michigan
- Library of Congress subjects McGinnis, Eric, Hate crimes - Michigan - Saint Joseph
- Dewey Decimal Code 977.411
Media reviews
Citations
- New York Times, 02/21/1999, Page 32
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