Author Description

Drawing on his own boyhood experiences, Huie (1910-1986) gives the reader a detailed account of rural life and race relations in the Tennessee Valley in the early years of this century, including a vivid picture of college life at The University of Alabama during the Great Depression. Through a careful weaving of characters and events, fact and fiction, Huie's novel captures the tumultuous period before World War II in the urban South, a time of social unrest and testing of new political ideologies. The book's publication in 1942 was a huge critical and financial success and not only brought Huie the acclaim his talent warranted but also focused an approving national spotlight on the prolific Alabama writer.