"This is a soulful coming-of-age novel with an unusually appealing, intelligent, and open-hearted narrator. Linda Kass tracks her protagonist's political awakening with sensitivity and a sharp eye for detail, creating a compelling portrait of a young woman navigating her way through a turbulent era in American history."—Tom Perrotta, author of Ghost Town and Election

"BEAUTIFULLY NUANCED!”—Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of New York Times bestseller The Daughters of Erietown

"Readers of a certain age will relate to this re-creation of a truly unforgettable and double-edged era. . . . a barrage of nostalgia that hits its mark. Many of these Waverley High kids would be grandparents now, and it’s tempting to imagine how their grandchildren might be coping in this new millennium with its own heavy challenges. AN EARNEST, METICULOUS REIMAGINING OF THE LATE 1960s AND THE ERA’S TENSE ATMOSPHERE OF SOCIAL CHANGE."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“HEARTWARMING!”—Ben Heckman, Library Director, Bexley Public Library

“A NOVEL THAT RESONATES WITH THE HERE AND NOW!”—Lee Martin, author of The Evening Shades and Pulitzer Prize–finalist The Bright Forever

“A STIRRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ!”—Helen Schulman, author of Lucky Dogs and New York Times bestseller This Beautiful Life

“BIGHEARTED!”—Wil Haygood, author of The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home and Tigerland: 1968–1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing

"A PITCH-PERFECT SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS LOOK BACK AT A PIVOTAL TIME IN OUR NATION’S HISTORY!”—Laney Katz Becker, author of In the Family Way

"…MASTERFUL, RIVETING, AND POIGNANT… [WILL] RESONAT[E] WITH YOUNG ADULTS AND ADULTS ALIKE."—Mike Nolan, Bexley High School Librarian

“FILLED WITH THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND CATACLYSMIC HISTORICAL EVENTS OF 1969-1970… VIVID!”—Pamela Klinger-Horn, event coordinator at Valley Bookseller and creator and host of Literature Lover’s Night Out

LINDA KASS began her career as a magazine journalist and correspondent for regional and national publications. Along with her forthcoming novel, World News from Waverley High (September 2026), she is the author of three previous works of historical fiction: Tasa’s Song (2016), A Ritchie Boy (2020), and Bessie (2023). A longtime civic leader, she is the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independent bookstore in Central Ohio, now in its tenth year. Linda lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, Frank; they have four children, six grandchildren, and a labradoodle named Wally.

SELECTED PRAISE for LINDA KASS’ OTHER NOVELS

Nuanced, complex and insightful....”—MS.

“Kass depicts a heartbreaking time with great sensitivity and detail in this beautifully rendered historical drama.”—BOOKLIST

“Kass doesn’t shy away from the horrors of exile, anti-Semitism, genocide, and war. But she also presents a strong case for stubbornly opposing that darkness with tolerance, decency, friendship, love, and hope."—HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

“Told as a series of interconnected stories, Linda Kass’s captivating, based-in-truth novel A Ritchie Boy is about assimilation, hope, and perseverance.”—FOREWORD REVIEWS

". . . a memorable tale of unflinching courage in the face of war—and the power of love and beauty to flourish amid its horrors.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY