B-Four

Set in Birmingham, Ala., this classic coming-of-age first novel provides an engaging hero and vibrant images of Southern life, the newspaper business and the emotional aches and pains of growing up. Beauregard Forrest, whose mother died shortly after his birth, has been a faithful son to his wealthy and quirky father, joining him in Civil War reenactments and brewing their morning coffee, and an amenable brother to Jackson, a former Crimson Tide football player. Beauregard is a cub reporter at the Birmingham Standard-Dispatch , a job his father arranged for him in order to raise his verbal SAT scores and improve his chances of getting into Washington and Lee, the elite school for Southern gents-to-be. But Beauregard's stories--Pet of the Week and obituaries--have never been printed closer to the front page than section B, page four, hence his nickname. Hoping to win the respect of his fellow reporters and the love of lively student Lorena with a front-page scoop, B-Four investigates an anti-Atlanta campaign by the Birmingham Boosters. His resulting misadventures and triumphs soon set him on the path to self-discovery. Hodges's narrative is colorful and amusing--and something more: his tender regard for his characters makes them all ring true. (June)