Now Available from Curbstone Press: KNOW IT BY HEART by Karl Luntta

A compelling tale of racial inequity in a small New England town in 1961

(PRWEB) January 18, 2004 --When a racially mixed family moves into an all-white neighborhood in Connecticut in 1961, lives are altered forever. Karl Lunttas Know It by Heart follows the adventures of young Dub Teed, his sister Susan, and neighbor Doug Hammer, who befriend newly arrived Ricky Dubois, the daughter of African-American woman and her white husband. Luntta captures the essence of adolescence in Dub Teed, who realizes his budding attraction to girls in Ricky Dubois, while also discovering the nature of racism in his own community, and even in his mother. When burning crosses appear at night-and worse-the young people set out to find justice, and discover that nobody can be judged on first appearances. Dub befriends neighborhood bully Big Farley and finds that, like himself and his friends, Big has problems, feelings, and deserves a chance at understanding. While working together to help the Dubois, the young people learn that tolerance and understanding should span across the many different kinds of people they encounter. Discovering that they all share similar problems and goals, the young people find themselves in the process.

Despite the books serious anti-racist theme, Know It by Heart is filled with humor reminiscent of Mark Twain. In this suspenseful novel, Karl Luntta brilliantly captures the world of the young adolescent. His fully rounded, carefully delineated characters engage in a dialogue that captures the innate comedy, insecurity, and awkwardness of their age as they pursue their adventures and fantasies. This is a book that will appeal to parents and teenagers alike.

Storytelling that makes abundant use of unforgettable characters, a compelling sweep of events, colorful dialogue, and a mind set that captures the essence of an era. Karl Luntta is a first-rate talent."
            -Lary Bloom, author, The Writer Within

Atticus Finch would love this book, James Baldwin would love this book. Martin Luther King is reading it in Heaven... I love the way this book opens. The speaker, a young man named Dub Teed, has a strong voice that satisfies the reader throughout the entire event-filled book. He can be funny, and hes tender-hearted, and he proves to be a wily foe for those bent on injustice."
   -Margaret Szumowski, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Newsletter.

Before settling in New York State with his family, Karl Luntta worked for over a dozen years with the U.S. Peace Corps in Africa, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. A former newspaper and magazine columnist, he is the author of several travel books. His short stories have appeared in Baltimore Review, International Quarterly, North Atlantic Review, Toronto Review and others. At present, he is Media Relations Director at the University at Albany.

For an interview with Karl Luntta by Anne Malcom, please visit Curbstones web site: http://www.curbstone.org.

KNOW IT BY HEART by Karl Luntta
Publication Date: September 2003
336 pages Paperback $15.95
ISBN: 1-880684-95-0