In this fascinating novel by award-winning Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, the town of Shale City is the setting for a scathing examination of excess in the American West. Filled with lively characters, vivid description, and wry dialogue, this fast-paced story traces the rise and fall of John Abbott, a wealthy local businessman and town patriarch in the 1920s and 1930s. As a generous philanthropist, Abbott was heralded as a hero by the townspeople when times were good. But as the stock market crashes and the Great Depression hits, the town turns upon Abbott when his fortunes fade. Exposed is the darker side of small-town life. Trumbo, who would later be called to testify before Congress (and was subsequently jailed and blacklisted as a member of the so-called Hollywood Ten during the McCarthy-era Red Scare), skillfully plants early warning signs in about the political climate of the decades to come. Considered scandalous and controversial at the time of its initial release, draws heavily from Trumbo's own boyhood experiences in Grand Junction, Colorado, and many of the characters are based on real-life citizens from that time. Over time it has come to be regarded as an honest and candid depiction of the way life really is in a small town America. Readers interested in related titles from Dalton Trumbo will also want to see: (paperback, ISBN 1635610974).