THE EDGE OF THE WEDGE Revisits America's Past

When AMC's "Mad Men" opened its current season to an all-time high in viewer ratings (the show's fifth season delivered 3.5 million viewers for its two-hour premiere), the indictment was clear - America's past is still in vogue.

William Faulkner once wrote. "The past is never dead. It's not even past." It's a sentiment Carroll Osburn, author of the novel "The Edge of the Wedge: Recollections of a Reluctant Prodigal" (published by AuthorHouse), understands well.

After years in academia, Osburn, a distinguished university professor, wrote "The Edge of the Wedge," his debut novel that turns a critical yet optimistic eye toward a country in battle with its own ideals.

Set in the late 1950s in the small town of Bardeau Bayou, this semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of a quizzical teenager in small town eastern Arkansas. Caught in a cultural lag, Osburn's youthful narrator finds himself asking the tough questions that many would prefer go unasked, including questions regarding racism, segregation, poverty and the iron-clad social customs of his conservative upbringing.

"The principles involved in clarifying social issues and evaluating lifestyle options are the same today as half a century ago," says Osburn, of his book's relevance to today's audience. "Often it is difficult to be honest with one's self about the world in which one lives. Difficult questions involve what to retain and what to alter, as well as how to break with a comfortable mold and enter an intimidating future."

"The Edge of the Wedge"
By Carroll Osburn
Softcover | 5 x 8in | 312 pages | ISBN 9781452034744
E-Book | 312 pages | ISBN 9781452034751
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Carroll Osburn earned his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Following three decades in academia, he retired early as distinguished professor and engaged in humanitarian work in Africa for several years.