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Summary and Reviews of The Turnaround by George Pelecanos

The Turnaround by George Pelecanos

The Turnaround

by George Pelecanos
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  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • First Published:
  • Aug 1, 2008, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2009, 304 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever.
Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it.
The Turnaround takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of D.C. today, from the diners and auto garages of the city to the inside of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, where wounded men and women have returned to the world in a time of war. A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, The Turnaround is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." -Oregonian.

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Reviews

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Pelecanos raises important questions about racism, friendship, loyalty, guilt and redemption in this tightly written story that leaves the reader pondering these issues long after the novel has been read...continued

Full Review (835 words)

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(Reviewed by Diane La Rue).

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Beyond the Book



The Fisher House Program

War veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming back with injuries that would have been fatal a few years ago. Medical advances mean that more young men and women are returning home with serious brain injuries and requiring artificial limbs. These vets need long periods of rehabilitation. To assist them and their families, the Fisher House Program was created. New York real estate magnate Zachary Fisher donated money to build Fisher House 'comfort homes' on the grounds of each of the major military medical centers in the United States which enable families of vets to live close to their family member while he or she undergoes rehabilitation.

Anywhere from eight to twenty-one suites exist in each home which military families ...

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Read-Alikes

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