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The Black Arts & Cultural Center City Wide Book Club will have a discussion on The Other Side of theRiver by Alex Kotlowitz..The discussion will be held on Monday, May 11, 2009 in the Gail Sydnor Gallery in the BACC located at 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 202 in the Epic Center in downtown Kalamazoo.In The Other Side of the River his eagerly awaited new book, Kotlowitz takes us to southern Michigan. Here, separated by the St. Joseph River, are two towns, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Geographically close, they are worlds apart, a living metaphor for America's racial divisions: St. Joseph is a prosperous lakeshore community and ninety-five percent white, while Benton Harbor is impoverished and ninety-two percent black. When the body of a black teenaged boy from Benton Harbor is found in the river, unhealed wounds and suspicions between the two towns' populations surface as well. The investigation into the young man's death becomes, inevitably, a screen on which each town projects their resentments and fears. The Other Side of the River sensitively portrays the lives and hopes of the towns' citizens as they wrestle with this mystery--and reveals the attitudes and misperceptions that undermine race relations throughout America. In this gripping and ultimately profound book, Alex Kotlowitz proves why he is one of this country's foremost writers on the ever explosive issue of race.Receive a 20% discount on the purchase of the book at Walden Book Store.Remember to mention that you are with the Black Arts & Cultural Center Book Club. For more information about the book go to http://alexkotlowitz.com/02_02.html
