Confederacy of Silence: A True Tale of the New Old South (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780671036676)

In this stunning twist on the timeless tale of an outsider fascinated by a closed society, a young Jewish writer goes back to Greenwood, Mississippi, where he had his first newspaper job, and covers a murder trial that challenges his notions of both the South and himself.

When Richard Rubin, fresh out of the Ivy League, accepts a job at a daily newspaper in the old Delta town of Greenwood, Mississippi, he is thrust into a place as different from his hometown of New York as any in the country. Yet to his surprise, he is warmly welcomed by the townspeople and soon finds his first great scoop in Handy Campbell, a poor, black teen and gifted high school quarterback who goes on to win a spot on Mississippi State's team--a training ground for the NFL.

Six years later, Rubin, back in New York, learns that Handy is locked up in Greenwood, accused of capital murder. Returning south to cover the trial, Rubin follows the trail that took Handy from the football field to county jail. As the best and worst elements of Mississippi rise up to do battle over one man's fate, Rubin must confront his own unresolved feelings about the confederacy of silence that initially enabled him to thrive in Greenwood but ultimately forced him to leave it.

Author: Richard Rubin
ISBN-10: 067103667X
ISBN-13: 9780671036676
Publisher: Atria Books
Language: English
Published: 06/04/2003
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.27lbs
Size: 8.57h x 5.56w x 1.18d

Review Citation(s):
Kliatt 09/01/2003 pg. 36
Booksense '76 Jly/Aug 2003 07/01/2003 pg. 1