PRESS RELEASE:
Forsaken is a gripping, beautifully realized work of historical fiction by Ross Howell Jr. that raises contemporary questions about the racial politics of justice. The book has been recognized as a “title not to be missed” by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, which named Forsaken to the list of Winter 2016 Okra Picks. Ross Howell Jr. will be speaking and signing copies at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe on February 14 at 3:00 pm.
Forsaken tells the story of the sensational crime committed by Virginia Christian, a young black girl who, in 1912 Virginia, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair. She was the only female juvenile to be executed in the history of the state. News of her crime made national headlines. Many rallied around her cause. Included among them was a young newspaperman, Charlie Mears, whose own life is indelibly altered when he crosses the color line in reporting on her case.
Kent Nelson calls Forsaken “an intricate, ambitious novel readers will admire for its subtlety and grace.” Adds Jennie Fields, “Not since Atticus Finch have we met a character spun from the threads of integrity as beautifully as Charlie Mears in Ross Howell Jr.’s exquisite novel, Forsaken.”
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