The Known World
by Edward P. Jones ’72

In his first novel, The Known World (Amistad), Edward P. Jones ’72 explores an oft-neglected chapter of American history—the world of blacks who owned blacks in the antebellum South. This follow-up to the National Book Award-nominated short story collection, Lost in the City, has earned the author advance praise. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “(the) narrative achieves crushing momentum through sheer accumulation of detail, unusual historical insight and generous character writing.”

A recipient of the Lannan Foundation Grant, Jones currently resides in Arlington, Va.
(At press time, The Known World had just been nominated for the prestigious National Book Award.)

Crossing the Racial Divide: Close Friendships Between Black and White Americans
by Kathleen Odell Korgen ’89

Kathleen Odell Korgen ’89 is the author of Crossing the Racial Divide: Close Friendships Between Black and White Americans (Praeger). Utilizing a sociological framework to examine the nature of friendships between black and white Americans, Korgen sheds light on important aspects of contemporary race relations. In interviews conducted in cities and towns across the United States, members of 40 black and white pairs of friends reflect on how their cross-racial friendships have influenced their views and actions.

Korgen is an assistant professor of sociology at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. She has published articles, as well as the book, From Black to Biracial: Transforming Racial Identity Among Americans (Praeger).

The Secrets of Wildflowers, and Ridgefield: 1900-1950
by Jack Sanders ’66

Jack Sanders ’66 is the author of two new books: The Secrets of Wildflowers (The Lyons Press) and Ridgefield: 1900-1950 (Arcadia). The Secrets of Wildflowers explains the natural history, folklore, name origins and the lore of hundreds of North American plant species, from ordinary weeds to cherished orchids. Smithsonian magazine calls the book “one of the best things that has ever happened to wildflowers.” Ridgefield: 1900-1950 explores the “golden age” of this Connecticut town. Part of the “Postcard History Series,” the guide includes more than 200 images of the resorts, inns, mansions, churches and village shops of Ridgefield.

Sanders is an editor at the Ridgefield Press. A resident of Ridgefield and member of the town’s historical society, he has published several books on the history of the region.

Laugh It Off!
by Jim Fabiano ’72

Laugh It Off! by Jim Fabiano ’72 (Independent Publishing Group) is a collection of “unbelievable, real life misadventures” drawn from the author’s humor column, which appears regularly in the York (Maine) Independent. Featuring titles such as “Real Men Don’t Eat Paté” and “The Leaping Voles of Spring,” these 30 short pieces have been compared to the work of Dave Barry and Hunter S. Thompson.

A resident of Southern Maine for the past 28 years, Fabiano teaches high school in Newmarket, N.H.

These books are available from the Holy Cross Bookstore. Phone: (508)-793-3609. E-mail: erice@holycross.edu. If you mention that you read about these titles in Holy Cross Magazine, the bookstore will offer free shipping!