Steptides Flat

This book is about a grown man who returns to visit a town in rural Louisiana that he loved as a kid. This town had a sense of backwardness and virtually no modern conveniences, but its residents lived wonderful, carefree lives. He and his precocious daughter and a group of friends decide to improve life in the town without losing any of its charm. There are three levels of townspeople that must be addressed in order to make this work. There are Slimers, whose goal is to take advantage of residents who expect to make money off the naiveté of the status quo. There are the Shovels, the name given to residents who have some basic knowledge of the legality of places and buildings and people's rights. And there are Wormsleys-residents who spend most of their time worrying while preparing for the future and who know that, ultimately, they will have to take a stand, along with the Shovelers, against the Slimers. The Shovelers have incorporated into an organization and are also becoming quite proficient in the use of martial arts. Together, these different groups will make this utopian society work.