The Other Side of the River

"A riveting portrait of a racially troubled America in the 1990's"—Publishers Weekly (starred)

"A vivid American microcosm, a telling tableau of the way we are."—The New York Times

From the author of There Are No Children Here, this is the true story of two towns in southern Michigan separated by a river-and the mysterious death of a black youth. The communities are side by side and yet worlds apart: St. Joseph is a prosperous white area while Benton Harbor is a depressed town primarily inhabited by blacks. Kotlowitz portrays the lives of the towns' citizens, and reveals the suspicions that exist between them as they wrestle with the child's death. It is a gripping narrative, and a telling microcosm of the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America.

"I was impressed and enthralled...This book has suspense and style, and the delight of real substance presented with grace...a work of great narrative power, superb reporting, and profound empathy--in other words, a joy."—Scott Turow