{"product_id":"the-unicorn-woman-9780807030035","title":"The Unicorn Woman","description":"\u003cb\u003eMarking a dramatic new direction for Jones, a riveting tale set in the Post WWII South, narrated by a Black soldier who returns to Jim Crow and searches for a mythical ideal\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet in the early 1950s, this latest novel from Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Gayl Jones follows the witty but perplexing army veteran Buddy Ray Guy as he embodies the fate of Black soldiers who return, not in glory, but into their Jim Crow communities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA cook and tractor repairman, Buddy was known as Budweiser to his army pals because he's a wise guy. But underneath that surface, he is a true self-educated intellectual and a classic seeker: looking for religion, looking for meaning, looking for love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs he moves around the south, from his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, primarily, to his second home of Memphis, Tennessee, he recalls his love affairs in post-war France and encounters with a variety of colorful characters and mythical prototypes: circus barkers, topiary trimmers, landladies who provide shelter and plenty of advice for their all-Black clientele, proto feminists, and bigots. The lead among these characters is, of course, The Unicorn Woman, who exists, but mostly lives in Bud's private mythology. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJones offers a rich, intriguing exploration of Black (and Indigenous) people in a time and place of frustration, disappointment, and spiritual hope.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Beacon Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/20\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780807030035\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/05\/2024 pg. 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/17\/2024\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Gayl Jones","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44337904976053,"sku":"9780807030035","price":22.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_7558e088-2680-4097-a3d2-6a959f724ada.jpg?v=1719329731","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-unicorn-woman-9780807030035","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}