The Marrowbone Marble Company offers more than just another depiction of a man aspiring to create his own utopia in the midst of post-World War II America. This sophomore release by Glenn Taylor assumes a harrowing and honest look at issues of race and class as told through the socially astute Loyal Ledford. Themes of oppression and hope intermingle throughout the pages of this satisfying, substantive portrayal of a conventional West Virginia man whose return from the war eventually leads him to launch a marble manufacturing company with his part-American-Indian cousins, the Bonecutter brothers—a decision that puts Ledford directly in the path of many historical events from the nation’s tumultuous civil rights era. Told in a perceptive narrative voice that laments man’s treatment of his neighbors, contemplates why America places excessive emphasis on wealth and individual power, and ruminates on the best defense in the face of injustice, this fluid story line is soulful, complex and filled with struggle and loss, righteousness and redemption in the rough-and-tumble world of West Virginia. 

Taylor, who earned an MFA from Southwest Texas State University, is the author of The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, a finalist for the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award and a Barnes & Noble “Fall 2008 Discover” selection. Taylor teaches English and fiction writing at Harper College outside Chicago, where he lives with his wife and two sons. Taylor will appear at Boswell Book Co. on June 8, Next Chapter Bookshop on June 9, and Books & Co. on June 10 to discuss The Marrowbone Marble Company.