McAfee County

McAfee County is a brilliant book by an author beloved by those who read him.

First published in the early seventies, Mark Steadman was even then intent on chronicling a testimony of racism, familial violence and sexual ignorance in the dimmest days before the civil rights upeheval of the sixties. These marvelous stories burn with humor and despair. Even as his characters are by turn brutish and tender, racist, incestuous, and violent, Steadman chronicles their misadventures with a respectful and caring reserve. This fascinating collection is a valuable living testimony of the not so distant past. Ultimately we follow the author into a greater understanding of how consciousness has evolved. And yet, as we congratulate ourselves on how much better things are now, we can see in McAfee County the seeds that threaten to undermine our fragile enlightenment. I highly recommend this book for both its artistry and its wisdom.