The events depicted incorporate historical incidents to create an alternate history of a violent anti-corruption rebellion in the fictional town of Sparta, Tennessee, in the aftermath of World War II. It is based in part on the rebellion by veterans against the Mayor's office in Athens, Tennessee, as well as on the Chicago Haymarket Riot. In Sparta, thousands of veterans return to the States from the War, and are confronted by crippling corruption, as they attempt to drink away the trauma of the War. Faced with bribes and a heap of misdemeanor tickets, the GIs try to retaliate by aggressively supporting the Democratic ticket, but soon discover that elections are not won by voters in Sparta. The Sheriff and his army of untrained deputies go on a killing spree, as they work to steal the election, until the Democrats are compelled to pick up arms to defend their lives and their civil rights."I enjoyed this book and found it to be intriguing because I was curious to know what the outcome of the election and the battle would be, and what would become of the characters I became so invested in. The characters were good and well developed. I think it is interesting that this is historical fiction, which is an oxymoron in and of itself. Even though the story is made up, I could still see some things that rooted it to history. For example, there were some parts that reminded me of the French Revolution, like when the citizens take the weapons from the store, which reminded me of the storming of Bastille. The constant mention of World War II and the aspects of it (i.e. Hiroshima bombing, concentration camps, etc.) also showed me how rooted into the history of the world the story is. This book is one that kept my interest and held my curiosity, and is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. And anyone who enjoys some history with a bit of a twist will enjoy it too." -Prism Review: University of La Verne, Alexandra Dixon, "Current & Contemporary Book Reviews: December 2016""*****There are fascinating observations about cultural evolution... The detailed tactics of voter and election fraud is fascinating. Watch how it plays out today, in 2016, with occasional accusations of voter fraud in primary elections. There has not been much; where there has been some, a closer look reveals similar tactics. It is something for us to look at as we approach the contentious general election... And then there are the great, up-to-date discussion questions at the end..." -Ron, Ma Chung University, Indonesia, LibraryThing Early Review, "History & Sex & Violence In Sparta," Read4Fun BlogAnna Faktorovich is the Director and Founder of the Anaphora Literary Press. She previously taught for over four years at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and the Middle Georgia State College. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature and Criticism, an MA in Comparative Literature, and a BA in Economics. She published two academic books with McFarland: Rebellion as Genre in the Novels of Scott, Dickens and Stevenson (2013) and The Formulas of Popular Fiction: Elements of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Religious and Mystery Novels (2014).
