Catfish Alley (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780451232281)

A moving debut novel about female friendship, endurance, and hope in the South.

Roxanne Reeves defines her life by the committees she heads and the social status she cultivates. But she is keeping secrets that make her an outsider in her own town, always in search of acceptance. And when she is given a job none of the other white women want-researching the town's African-American history for a tour of local sites-she feels she can't say no.

Elderly Grace Clark, a retired black schoolteacher, reluctantly agrees to become Roxanne's guide. Grace takes Roxanne to Catfish Alley, whose undistinguished structures are nonetheless sacred places to the black community because of what happened there. As Roxanne listens to Grace's stories, and meets her friends, she begins to see differently. She is transported back to the past, especially to 1931, when a racist's hatred for Grace's brother leads to events that continue to change lives decades later. And as Roxanne gains an appreciation of the dreams, courage, and endurance of those she had so easily dismissed, her own life opens up in new and unexpected ways.

Author: Lynne Bryant
ISBN-10: 0451232283
ISBN-13: 9780451232281
Publisher: Berkley / Nal
Language: English
Published: 04/05/2011
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.22w x 0.72d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2011
Romantic Times 04/01/2011 pg. 46 - Excellent
Booklist 04/01/2011 pg. 23
Publishers Weekly 01/17/2011