Other editions of book Joe

An ALA Notable Book, Joe has earned critical acclaim nationwide, and Larry Brown has been compared to great Southern writers such as William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Like them, Larry Brown has an unerring feel for the truest details of regional life. The Mississippi countryside is Joe Ransom's world. There, whiskey, fast trucks, and a hard right fist are the badges of manhood. But middle age is approaching, and Joe tries to not think too much about the future. At 15, Gary Jones' life is painful and unpredictable. His days are spent avoiding his brutish father and caring for a damaged mother and sister. When Joe's and Gary's paths cross, the resulting friendship is a bizarre rite of passage for both of them. Throughout the story, Brown deftly maintains a balance between action and destruction, compassion and compulsion. His characters are riveting; the conclusion is shocking. This novel will leave you astonished and grateful for Larry Brown, a major talent.

“Brilliant . . . Larry Brown has slapped his own fresh tattoo on the big right arm of Southern Lit.” —The Washington Post Book WorldNow a major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage, directed by David Gordon Green. Joe Ransom is a hard-drinking ex-con pushing fifty who just won’t slow down--not in his pickup, not with a gun, and certainly not with women. Gary Jones estimates his own age to be about fifteen. Born luckless, he is the son of a hopeless, homeless wandering family, and he’s desperate for a way out. When their paths cross, Joe offers him a chance just as his own chances have dwindled to almost nothing. Together they follow a twisting map to redemption--or ruin.

“Brilliant . . . Larry Brown has slapped his own fresh tattoo on the big right arm of Southern Lit.” ―The Washington Post Book World Now a major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage, directed by David Gordon Green. Joe Ransom is a hard-drinking ex-con pushing fifty who just won’t slow down--not in his pickup, not with a gun, and certainly not with women. Gary Jones estimates his own age to be about fifteen. Born luckless, he is the son of a hopeless, homeless wandering family, and he’s desperate for a way out. When their paths cross, Joe offers him a chance just as his own chances have dwindled to almost nothing. Together they follow a twisting map to redemption--or ruin.

Hailed as an important voice in contemporary American literary fiction, Larry Brown is the critically acclaimed author of the antiwar novel Dirty Work and the short story collection Big Bad Love. In Joe, an unfulfilled 50-year-old and a desperate 15-year-old team up and follow a twisting map to redemption--or ruin--in this "raw and gritty" (Kirkus Reviews) Southern novel.