Books like South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy returns in “South of Broad” with a sprawling narrative that doubles as a love letter to Charleston and to lifelong friendship. The story centers on Leopold Bloom King, son of a science teacher and a former nun who serves as the high‑school principal. After his older brother’s suicide at thirteen, Leo wrestles with loss and isolation until he joins a diverse group of senior classmates—Sheba, Trevor, and the Whitehead siblings, among others—whose bonds span the 1960s‑80s counterculture and the early AIDS crisis. Over time, their relationships endure through marriages, loves, and the city’s deep‑rooted racism and class divisions, culminating in a final, unforeseen test that takes them to San Francisco.
First publish date: 2009
Genre: Coming of Age/Teen Coming of Age
Authors: Pat Conroy
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