{"product_id":"picket-line-the-lost-novella-9780063389366","title":"Picket Line: The Lost Novella","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"This is the best of a magnificent writer's magnificent books.\"--Tim O'Brien, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Things They Carried \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe first major release in nearly a decade from the late, best-selling Elmore Leonard--\"the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!\" (\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e): \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePicket Line\u003c\/em\u003e is the never-before-published, prescient story of a budding agricultural strike in Texas, the racial tension brewing in the fields, and what happens when brutality from \"the man\" goes unchecked.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"If a man comes out of the field and goes on the picket line, even for one day, he'll never be the same\u003c\/em\u003e...\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChino and Paco Rojas seem well-mannered, at least for Chicanos, to the white cops that pull them over for littering on the long drive from California to Trinity, Texas. So well-mannered, in fact, that Captain Frank McKellan lets them off with a warning and recommends them a job at Stanzik Farms, the largest independent melon grower in the area.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Chino and Paco didn't drive all this way for work. Instead, Chino is looking for a mysterious man, Vincent Mora, whose new Valley Agricultural Workers Association is causing a scene striking against the farm owners. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStanzik's fields and Mora's union bring together a cast of unlikely characters: Connie Chavez, a former picker and blossoming revolutionary who leads with a bullhorn and a fearless mouth; Bud Davis, a white Xavier University student working for spending money; Harold Ritchie, a local marine-turned-cop; Luis Tamez, a striker whose grandson served with Harold in Vietnam; and many more, including the pragmatic Chino, who finds himself pulled irrevocably into the cause. Some are neighbors, others just passing through. Some know each other well, or at least thought they did...before the picket line. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis never-before-published gem from master storyteller Elmore Leonard describes the early days of an unprecedented farmers' movement; the complex cast of Chicanos, Anglos, and migrants that impact the union; and the careful balance of passion, patience, and pure, stupid guts that it takes to hold the line. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeonard, Elmore:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElmore Leonard \u003c\/strong\u003ewrote more than forty books during his long career, including the bestsellers \u003cem\u003eRaylan\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTishomingo Blues\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBe Cool\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGet Shorty\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eRum Punch\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as the acclaimed collection \u003cem\u003eWhen the Women Come Out to Dance\u003c\/em\u003e, which was a \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Notable Book. Many of his books have been made into movies, including \u003cem\u003eGet Shorty\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOut of Sight\u003c\/em\u003e. The short story \"Fire in the Hole,\" and three books, including \u003cem\u003eRaylan\u003c\/em\u003e, were the basis for the FX hit show \u003cem\u003eJustified\u003c\/em\u003e. Leonard received the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He died in 2013.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKushins, C. M.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eC. M. Kushins\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eNothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBeast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin. \u003c\/em\u003eHe has been a freelance journalist for over fifteen years and his work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eHigh Times\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Daily Beast, \u003c\/em\u003e among others.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51624081391890,"sku":"9780063389366","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_29e0e7a3-79a3-487a-bae4-a51e094964f0.jpg?v=1762935433","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/picket-line-the-lost-novella-9780063389366","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}