The other side of the river

Description

In The Other Side of the River, Kotlowitz brings readers to two Michigan towns, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Separated by the St. Joseph River, they are geographically close, yet worlds apart: St. Joseph is a 95 percent white, prosperous lakeshore community, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and 92 percent black. When the body of a black teenage boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns populations surface as well. The investigation into Eric Mcginnis's death inevitably becomes a screen onto which each community projects its resentments and fears. 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 others - and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. This powerful story challenges us to think about our own assumptions about race, no matter which side of the river we live on.

First Sentence

This much is not in dispute.

Excerpt

This much is not in dispute.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The other side of the river: a story of two towns, a death, and America's dilemmaNan A. Talese1998-01-01
• The Other Side of the RiverAnchor1999-01-19
• The Other Side of the RiverUnknown BindingPerfection Learning Prebound1999-09-01
• Other Side of the RiverTandem Library2001-03-01