When Daniel Musgroves family moves to a small Mississippi town at the beginning of his junior year, he faces all the pain and thrills of adolescence, with extra helpings of hormones and humiliation. But then he meets Tim, a fellow outsider, and the two become fast friends. You only need one best friend, Daniel reasons, to make it through high school alive. Together, they negotiate the triumphs and tribulations of junior year: going to the prom in sky blue tuxesit is 1973, after allplaying in an original Baptist musical entitled Christ!, and an unforgettable encounter with their secret heroes, Sonny and Cher. But when the first-ever black prom queen of Minor High School is hit by a car and emerges from her coma believing shes white, Daniel and Tim find themselves caught up in a shocking chain of events that leads to a shattering climax. In the spirit of Richard Russo and Tom Perrotta, Mark Childress is one of our sharpest and most keen-eyed chroniclers of small-town life. ONE MISSISSIPPI is his most ambitious and accomplished novel yet.

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.