Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize winning book, ALL THE KING'S MEN, has been called one of the best political novels in American literature. It is the story of a small town southern politician in the beginning of the last century and his rise to the governor's mansion. It is often said to be based on Louisiana's Huey Long but Warren repeatedly said the book was based on the general political atmosphere of 1920's and 30's South. The novel is narrated by Jack Burden, an political employee of Willie Stark (the "Boss"). As Jack charts Stark's political progress, he also tells his own story: his relationship with his divorced mother and father, his stepfathers, his childhood and young adulthood, his friendship with Adam Stanton and his love for Adam's sister, Anne. Jack, an extremely introspective character, continually struggles to make sense of his world and his place in it. The narration style is fairly cynical and hard-boiled and is reminiscent of films noir of the 1940's and 50's. And, being about politics in America, a large focus is on the compromises often made in the name of the overall good. Do the often good ends justify the often not-so-good political means? The style is dense and tends to force the reader to slow down. This mirrors the languid atmosphere of the slow-talking, fan-waving, cocktail-sipping pre-air conditioning South. If you're looking for a break from the "real" political show being played out on the airwaves, check out a copy of this classic. It'll stay with you for quite awhile.
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