Investigating demands in the late-20th-century US for authentic ethnic texts as a continuation of the expansion of regional literary forms at the beginnings of the century, Karem (English, Cleveland State U.) uses a series of case studies to examine how intense national interests in regional and ethnic authenticity have shaped the careers of William Faulkner, Richard Wright, Ernest Gaines, Rolando Hinojosa, and Leslie Marmon Silko. Two of the studies have been published separately. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)