Rattlebone [B2115]

2022 PB McNally edition #8 with a half jacket printing of the 1994 original, in nice clean condition. Too long unavailable, this luminous classic of small-town life in the segregated 1950s has "magic dust sprinkled over each and every page" (Veronica Chambers, New York Times Book Review). Irene Wilson knows that a "no-name invisible something" has settled over her parents' marriage and suspects her glamorous new teacher is to blame. Irene is not alone in her suspicions. In the town of Rattlebone, a small Black neighborhood of Kansas City, secrets are hard to keep and growing up is a community affair. As Irene is initiated into adult passion and loss, her family story takes its place in a tightly woven tapestry of neighbors whose griefs and joys are as vivid as her own. Capturing an entire world through the eyes of its unforgettable heroine, Rattlebone is a one-of-a-kind triumph of American fiction.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: " 'It takes a village to raise a child' is how things worked in the 1950s in the fictional segregated town of Rattlebone, Kansas. I loved this coming of age story in which we meet Irene Wilson when she is young school age girl and we get to know her and the neighbors in her close knit town as we watch her grow up and graduate from high school. This novel is character driven and you'll feel like you spent time in this town with Irene, her mother and father, Irene's friends and their parents. Another excellent novel from McNally Editions, highly recommended."; This is a wonderful collection of eleven intertwined stories that allows you to truly view a world that doesn't feel quite so far away. The haunting reality of segregation is woven into the page, reminding us that at every turn Irene will have to fight for equality and her future."; "Great book. Beautifully written. Takes you right into a world on the poor side of Kansas with great insight, humor and tenderness."