Description:
A boy growing up in a bi-racial household in 1960's Harrisburg. Questions about identity and family consume him. As an adult he chooses to live on the Italian Riviera where a sexual encounter opens questions about the past.
Brief description: Jackson Taylor is the author of The Blue Orchard, the first book in The Harrisburg trilogy. In The Green Pear, the second book, his contemplative, literary style explores power, class, moral conflict and through deep observation, tells the stories of interesting characters. Also a poet and essayist, Taylor has spent much of his career in literary education and arts leadership. He currently lives in New York City, where he continues to teach and write.
Review Quotes:
STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY -- "In what could be a modern classic, poet and fiction writer Taylor takes an unblinking look at abortion in America many decades before Roe v. Wade. Introducing Verna Krone as she's arrested in her home in 1954, Taylor then transports readers to her poor Pennsylvania beginnings...before long, Verna begins working for Dr. Crampton, a well-to-do African-American doctor who performs illegal abortions.... In this powerful, vivid debut novel, Taylor parses issues of race, power, and religion in unflinching terms while believably inhabiting the mind of a conflicted woman."
Praise for The Blue Orchard, first in the Harrisburg Trilogy.