Description

The events depicted incorporate historical incidents to create an alternate history of a violent anti-corruption rebellion in the fictional town of Sparta, Tennessee, in the aftermath of World War II. It is based in part on the rebellion by veterans against the Mayor's office in Athens, Tennessee, as well as on the Chicago Haymarket Riot. In Sparta, thousands of veterans return to the States from the War, and are confronted by crippling corruption, as they attempt to drink away the trauma of the War. Faced with bribes and a heap of misdemeanor tickets, the GIs try to retaliate by aggressively supporting the Democratic ticket, but soon discover that elections are not won by voters in Sparta. The Sheriff and his army of untrained deputies go on a killing spree, as they work to steal the election, until the Democrats are compelled to pick up arms to defend their lives and their civil rights. "A riveting account of corruption in politics from the interesting mindset of disgruntled post-war veterans. A combination that will intrigue readers throughout the story." -David Walpuck, Administrator for the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals "An intriguing and often funny depiction of widespread governmental corruption in a mid-1940s southern city and the political efforts of a band of World War II veterans and their allies to address it." -Jere Krakoff, retired civil rights attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project in Washington, D.C.