A classic first published in 1949 - Kathyanne Bazemore and her brother, Ganus, are mulattos who work for ignorant, dominating whites in a fictitious town called Estherville.

Ganus works for the Singfield's, who are the most prominent and wealthiest in Estherville. One problem..they've got a whack-o-doodle daughter, Stephena, making eyes at the handsome mulatto. One day the parents left for church and she stayed behind. Stephena came downstairs and started her advances on poor Ganus, making eyes and talking seductively. He held firm. So she became stern and yelled at him to obey her. She told him to stand on his head. He did. And when he stood back up, she slapped him snd told him she didn't say he could quit.

She returned to her bed where she undressed and Ganus finished cooking her breakfast and brought it up. The girl is out of control. She advances. He backs away. Then suddenly, they are on the floor her on top and she's biting his wrist, drawing blood. He's screaming. The only way to get her off is to put her in a choke hold. She finally releases. Next thing, she's in bed crying that all she wanted was for him to hug her, and she got him to do that...even if it was a choke hold.

Meanwhile, Kathyanne works for George Swayne and his wife, Norma, who has left for the weekend to visit family. George has never been allowed to walk around barefoot in his home. Now that Norma is gone, his plans are to kick off his shoes and lay around all weekend with the freedom of just wearing his socks. But, Kathyanne is suddenly on his mind and he realizes just how pretty the seventeen year old is. He begins his advances on her and he thinks she's flattered.

You can see where this is going. Erskine loves to make fun of white people in the south. His stories are just off the wall and outrages. This is about as racist as you can get. It's too bad authors today don't feel the freedom to openly express themselves as Erskine does. ( )

En esta novela contundente, Erskine Caldwell describe la lucha trágica y desdichada de dos hermanos de raza mixta en el sur estadounidense a finales de los años 40. Los hermanos Ganus y Kathyanne Bazemore se mudan a Estherville para comenzar una nueva vida, encontrar trabajos y crear un futuro para sí mismos, pero la sombra del prejuicio los sigue en su nuevo pueblo. El racismo incontestable y la sexualidad perversa de sus empleadores los arrastran en una espiral de depravación y sufrimiento.

I loved this book as I have loved all the books of Erskine Caldwell that I have read thus far. While most people rave about Tobacco Rd and I am not disputing for a second that it was a great read, the characters in this novel are more 'real', like people you could and might have known in your life, and their dignity, fears, oppression and poverty make for a wonderful albeit heartbreaking story. ( )

La lucha trágica y desdichada de los hermanos mulatos del profundo Sur estadounidense de finales de los años cuarente. El ansia sexual, la perversión y el desprecio de los distintos patrones que van pasando por sus vidas dan al traste una y otra vez con los intentos de supervivencia de los protagonistas, condenados a una existencia de deshonra y degradación ( )