cover image CHRISTMAS IN CANAAN

CHRISTMAS IN CANAAN

Kenny Rogers, . . HarperCollins, $15.99 (336pp) ISBN 978-0-06-000746-1

Country and western star Rogers and co-writer Davenport deliver a novel of interracial friendship that opens in the 1960s. As punishment for fighting—after Texas farmer's son DJ tells off bookworm Rodney "for actin' so smart for a colored"—the two boys must spend several days in each other's home. A rocky start gives way to friendship, charted here as the novel tracks the boys' growth through turbulent times to manhood. Some of the plot twists are more akin to the neatly made stuff of TV drama. For instance, a meager but memorable Christmas in which the only gifts are catalogue pictures is recreated years later (after Rodney has achieved success as a playwright), this time with real gifts. Even so, the writing is able and the narrative marked by a number of genuinely moving moments. All ages. (Oct.)