A . Van Jordan

M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A

"Jordan is a wizard at capturing vernacular in both conventional forms and his own invention."
—Black Issues Book Review

THIS POIGNANT, wide-roaming narrative tells of the thwarted dreams of teenager MacNolia Cox, the first African American finalist in the National Spelling Bee.

"Jordan combines the tragic poignancy of the blues with the cinematic sweep of a documentary in his deeply human and highly imaginative second book."—Edward Hirsch, Washington Post