"A stunning period tale in which the oft-forgotten essence of the American dream is visible in every chapter." - Publisher's Weekly, starred review "Dramatic and suspenseful, full of despair and hope." - Booklist, starred review "The prizefight and deer hunt sequences are worthy of Jack London"- Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "Poyer, who grew up in Bradford, has been compared to Steinbeck, with good cause." - Pittsburgh Post- Gazette In the depths of the Depression, young wellshooter and aspiring boxer W. T. "Kid Nitro" Halvorsen starts a strike in the Pennsylvania oilfields after a massive refinery disaster exposes the Thunder Oil Company's neglect of workers' safety. As the violence escalates, Halvorsen, CIO organizer and secret Communist Doris Gurley Golden, strikebreaker Pearl Deatherage, and Thunder Oil owner Daniel Thunner battle to decide the fate of Hemlock County - and whether the bloodshed there will ignite a revolution that will shake all America.