"The dozen short stories of An American Affair give us back a 
clear and accurate reflection of our own world here and now. 
Linked togther by geographical setting and the clash of 
contemporary cultures, they challenge our easy assumptions with 
complexity. The characters are wholly credible and fully 
dimensional. The stories they tell are moving and memorable. This 
is short fiction at its best and brightest."—George Garrett, final 
judge

"These rich, evocative stories deal with the nuances of truth and 
inadequacy of language to express or even find truth, even when 
lying is made more difficult."—Jim Daniels

"Wonderfully anchored in place, the stories of An American 
Affair are provocative and emotionally honest. A good read."
—Patricia Henley

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MARK BRAZAITIS is the author of The River of Lost Voices: 
Stories from Guatemala, winner of the 1998 Iowa Short Fiction 
Award, and Steal My Heart, a novel published in 2000. He is a past 
recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and his 
stories, poems, and essays have appeared in The Sun, Witness, 
Beloit Fiction Journal, Confrontation, Notre Dame Review, and 
Shenandoah. He is an assistant professor of English at West 
Virginia University.