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This novel, first published a decade ago by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, is a white Southerner's interpretation of one of America's most shameful racial killings - the Emmett Till murder in Mississippi in 1955. It is unlike any other novel ever written and is very hard to describe. Here's what Randall Kenan said about it (in The Nation): "An immense and wall-shattering display of talent...At its very center lies one of the most senseless and well publicized crimes in American history: the murder of Emmett Till."

Reviewed by Shannon R., Editor, Algonquin Books

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Reader's comments about this book

Benchley's son (and biographer) Nathaniel selected the essays for this posthumous collection. It contains some of Benchley's funniest work: "Carnival Week in Sunny Las Los," "Kiddie-Kar Travel," "Opera Synopses," and many other short pieces perfect for reading to your self or out loud with friends. For more information about Benchley's life and work, visit the Robert Benchley Society at www.robertbenchley.org.
-David, Boston, Mass.

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