Kathleen asked Susan Wittig Albert:

Totally enjoyed The Darling Dahlias and the Red Hot Poker. How much of what you wrote about Huey Long is historically accurate? I know you are great with research but it was amazing how much of the details about Huey Long match our former president. Thank you for creating the town of Dahlia and all the rest of your creations. Always a pleasure to read one of your books.

Susan Wittig Albert Oh, missed this--sorry! Long's story is as accurate as I could make it. The only invention is his political rally in Darling (he didn't make a speaking tour through the South that year). I drew much of the detail of his political career from biographies and newspaper accounts. And yes, I noticed the parallel as well. Long and the former president are not philosophically aligned, but in strategy and style--especially rhetorical style--they are eerily similar.

If Long had lived, I believe that he would have defeated Roosevelt in 1936 and would likely have won a second term in 1940. And would have been confronted by the Japanese and Hitler in 1941. I don't like to think about the possible outcome of that.

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