This is a reprint in a series of leftish authors of the mid-century, mostly 1940s. although giving many accolades, I find it best excised of its so-called verse pssages. but then one woujldhave a novella, not a novel. The style of prose reminds me very much of erkine caldwell. the main attraction to me was it is set in Warrensburg, Warren Couh, New York state, and I was born and raised jujst 11 miles north of Warrensburg (Chestertown). I am angry that this Neew York Jew (neeJulius something) shows us as less than civilized. Upon meditation, I found myh anger is because it is true. During the months September throuigh May, there were no, zip, nada, zelch, NO black people in North Warren County. In 1992 a black school teachner moved into Stone House in Bran t Lake, him and his family. It took several fires before they decided to leave. It is difficult to burn a stone-built house to the ground, but with the help of the Chestertown-Horicon fire departments,it can be done. The only minority person in our high schol was me -- Andy Ray Campanaroi. I stated fist-fighting the first year and by second grade there was no more dago-wop=guinea-greaeball jokes. Each village had its easy women and village drunks, but their childrfen were equal to us in school. we trulyh were a democracyh. but as painful for me as it is to recognize it, that parade mentioned at the endof the book, well, it couldn't have happened any other way in North Warren. ( )