Crabcakes by James Alan McPherson

James Alan McPherson,
Crabcakes, a memoir: McPherson's first new book since his 1978 story collection
Elbow Room, which won the Pulitzer Prize,
Crabcakes artfully describes his departure from his beloved Baltimore in the late seventies to Iowa City, where he continues to teach. The second half of the book recounts his recent trips to Japan, where he found renewal and acceptance. This beautiful book resonates as a personal meditation on race, self, and community. (Simon & Schuster)