Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Essay | 2012 | Robin Yocum | Buy |
| 2 | Red Dog Road | 2013 | Robin Yocum | Buy |
The Essay tells the story of Jimmy Lee Hickam, a boy living in a beaten-down Ohio River town with an alcoholic father. When a dedicated teacher pushes Jimmy to enter an essay contest, the assignment becomes a turning point in his life. The book was an Edgar Award finalist and one of Yocum’s most popular novels.
Red Dog Road followed the next year and continues Yocum’s habit of writing about ordinary people in overlooked corners of Ohio. Both books are short, direct reads that avoid the usual thriller formula in favor of character-driven storytelling.