Happy 4th of July — in Raintree County

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Raintree County by Ross Lockridge, Jr., or if you have heard of it you’ve probably not read it. (Maybe you saw the 1956 movie starting Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint–but believe me, it’s not the same experience.)

Raintree County is one of the best American novels of all time. Seriously. Like Ulysses, it takes place entirely on one day, July 4th, 1892, in Raintree County, Indiana. To read more about the book and its author, visit RaintreeCounty.com.

Shortly after the publication of this amazing book, Lockridge committed suicide. I highly recommend it.