![]() ![]() "The Cold Millions" magnifies the social criticism that fueled some of Walter's earlier novels, in particular the prescient 2005 novel "Citizen Vince" about an ex-felon frantically trying to cast his vote in the presidential election of 1980. These are the men that don't fit in, to quote the popular Robert Service poem from the same period, or more accurately, the men who can't fit in because the system is rigged against them. And on the night just past, this abandoned ballfield, its infield littered with itinerants, vagrants, floaters, Americans. Seasonal work over, they floated in from mines and farms and log camps, filled every flop and boardinghouse, slept in parks and alleys. (Reading) They woke on a ballfield - bums, tramps, hobos, stiffs - two dozen of them spread out on blankets in a narrow floodplain. Here's the Whitmanesque catalogue that opens "The Cold Millions." Spokane in 1909 attracts not a sprinkling of rich American tourists but a flotilla of men looking for work. Consider the stark difference in setting alone. "The Cold Millions" is a novel that's been incubating in Jess Walter's imagination for years, predating his 2012 bestseller, "The Beautiful Ruins." That novel, set in an Italian fishing village, was an exquisite appeal to escapism whereas "The Cold Millions" is politically engaged. She and more than 500 protesters were jailed before the city revoked the ban, making Spokane an early triumph in the long history of free speech battles in the U.S. The demonstrations drew some famous participants, among them, the charismatic teenaged Wobbly orator Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, whom the country would come to know as the Rebel Girl. Spokane had instituted a ban on public speaking in response to the orations of Wobbly organizers who were trying to break the grip of corrupt employment agencies in the city. His new novel, "The Cold Millions," takes place in Spokane, Wash., in 19 and centers on the real-life free speech demonstrations that erupted in that city, pitting police and government officials against transient workers, many of whom identified as Wobblies. Jess Walter, like Allen Ginsberg, also feels sentimental about the Wobblies. America, I feel sentimental about the Wobblies, declared Allen Ginsberg in his incantatory poem "America," written in 1956. The Wobblies have had some notable organizing wins in recent years, but such an expansive union remains a utopian dream. The Industrial Workers of the World, or IWW, as the Wobblies are more commonly known, were founded in 1905 as one big union to cut across all trades and industries. MAUREEN CORRIGAN, BYLINE: Mention the Wobblies to most Americans today, and they'll likely think you're referring to tremors. Our book critic Maureen Corrigan has a review. Walter's new book, "The Cold Millions," is something else entirely - a sweeping historical novel about the Wobblies and a landmark free speech protest at the turn of the last century. His other novels have ranged from political satire to literary suspense. Jess Walter's 2012 novel "Beautiful Ruins" was a best-seller set in Italy and late-Golden Age Hollywood. It’s definitely an interesting one, but I’m very sensitive to younger oak char and corn flavors that keeps this one from being great for me.This is FRESH AIR. ⭐️Overall, this one is a complex mash of flavors that I’m not sure fully works together. The Finish is medium, and brings more black pepper, vanilla, and lightly tannic oak char (bordering on charcoal). Throughout the palate there is a background of oak char and those “craft corn” notes. The Palate is initially sweet toffee, but then a lot of black pepper, black tea, apricot, cinnamon, and mild mint. But there is a lot more here including black pepper, dill, cocoa, and slight apple. The Nose reminds me of a lot of young craft releases with dominant oak char and caramel corn. ![]() MGP of Indiana (Bulleit Rye, Templeton Rye, and countless others) Middle West Distillery (Ohio producers of their own spirits, and also the distiller of Horse Soldier Bourbon) Kentucky Artisan Distillery (makers of Jefferson’s Bourbon) I would love to find a Single Barrel cask strength bottle! ⭐️Overall this is an extremely pleasant, light rye with excellent cinnamon apple flavors. The Finish is medium, with mild pepper spice moving into leather, more vanilla, and lingering oak with apple. The Palate is initially sweet vanilla, then green apple, then cinnamon, then slight white pepper as we move into… The Nose is light but with very enticing green apple, vanilla, cinnamon, and a hint of peach. Sourced from an undisclosed Tennessee distillery with a 95% rye mashbill. These are both sourced, both lower proof, and both in an affordable price range.įancy Glencairn thinks she is going to like anything Jim Rutledge makes… Let’s dive in! Today we have two bottles of rye facing off that I am comparing simply because I bought them at the same time ) ![]()
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