Canton, NY, Dec 06, 2012 — "Readers and Writers" co-host Chris Robinson talks with Phil LaMarche about his book, American Youth. LaMarche is a professor of English at SUNY-Canton and directs the Living Writers Series.

His debut novel has won wide acclaim. It's the tale of a teenager in southern New England who is confronted by a terrible moral dilemma following a firearms accident in his home. This tragedy earns him the admiration of a gang of boys at his school. It's been called a classic portrait of a young man struggling with the idea of identity and responsibility.