With his sharp observations of the American South, best-selling author Mark Childress draws favorable comparisons to Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Set in the volatile 1960s, this book takes flight in two separate directions when everyone goes a little crazy in rural Alabama. When Lucille can no longer bear her oppressive husband, she drops a little rat poison in his coffee. Decapitating him for good measure, she stuffs the wayward head into a plastic lettuce keeper, takes it with her to Hollywood, and lands a role on The Beverly Hillbillies. Back in Alabama, Lucille's 12-year-old nephew Peejoe watches the civil rights struggle explode after a black boy is killed during a police scuffle. When the two stories converge, the results are shocking. Childress deftly examines the many ways people go crazy by meticulously balancing moments of humor and absurdity. Narrator Tom Stechschulte effortlessly handles this elaborate tale while capturing the tension and insanity of troubled people during a volatile time.
