The Emperor of Ocean Park (Knopf, 2002) ------By Stephen L. Carter An African-American professor of law is obliged to investigate the unsavory past of his father, a former federal judge, even though this provokes fierce opposition from his wife and his colleagues. Miller shows (1) how Carter employs the popular techniques of the crime thriller to deliver a major novel of ideas - an approach called "double coding" -- and (2) that Carter has produced the first great fictional study of life in the black upper-class in America. Miller compares Carter favorably with Zola, Mahfouz, Henry James and Eco.                 Click to hear sample Return to Available Programs