In Richard's World

"An affectingly candid depiction of conflict and growth, the confrontation within one person of two worlds that should gain sympathy not only for the author but for his South."—Kirkus Reviews

"The best of the book is found in William's exceptional honesty."—New York Times Book Review

"An unusual, personal, and deeply emotional book on black and white [relations] in the South."—Publishers Weekly

"This is a remarkably candid story of what the author saw and thought and felt and what response he received from his many friends and relatives in the exclusive section of the city below Broad Street. It is a book that will be considered controversial, for the author, a descendant of many of the oldest and most distinguished families of the Carolina Lowcountry, makes no attempt to hide his feelings as he struggles to work in the slums from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and then drives home, not too many blocks, to the comfort and prosperity of the genteel world of old Charleston."—Charleston (S.C.) News and Courier

"William Barnwell's first book, In Richard's World, changed my life. It was the main reason I applied to teach at an all-black school on Daufuskie Island. That experience became the basis for my book The Water Is Wide. Barnwell is a shameless white, southern liberal just like me. We are a small, but stubborn group and we are joined by the likes of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Sister Helen Prejean. I think William Barnwell has lived a stirring, exemplary life—and he writes beautifully."—Pat Conroy