Kirby Gann

The Bookmarked series focuses on a famous work of literature that left a powerful impression on an author (hence the name, Bookmarked —a book that left its mark). Each entry in the series presents a no-holds-barred personal narrative detailing how a particular novel influenced an author on their journey to becoming a writer, as well as the myriad directions where that journey has taken them.
In the first book in the series, critically acclaimed author and series editor Kirby Gann takes on John Knowles' classic about the tragic friendship between two boys at a boarding school.
Set at a New England boarding school for boys during World War II, A Separate Peace is considered by many to be the quintessential coming-of-age novel. It tells the story of Gene, an introverted intellectual, and his friendship with Phineas, a handsome, charming athlete, over the course of one summer. Kirby Gann juxtaposes the novel’s tragic take on lost adolescent innocence with his own growing emotional and artistic awareness as a boy growing up in Kentucky in the 1970s and 1980s. In the process, Gann creates an indelible work that celebrates the timelessness of John Knowles’ classic novel.