Today we’re tying up some loose ends from three recent columns: Survey results for a new Roanoke College team name; a Harry Potter book lost by the U.S. Postal Service, and one heck of a grateful waitress in Vinton.
Ferrum College professor Lana Whitedâs latest book, 36 years in the making, got its start with a curious experience she had while seeking to purchase a copy of Truman Capoteâs âIn Cold Blood.â
âThereâs a kind of confusion with regard to classifying books like that,â Whited said. In âMurder, In Fact,â she takes a closer look at the tradition of murder narratives that combine factual reporting with fiction writing techniques, such as John Grishamâs âThe Innocent Man,â Theodore Dreiserâs âAn American Tragedy,â Richard Wrightâs âNative Son,â Norman Mailerâs âThe Executionerâs Song,â and Capoteâs masterpiece.