Book Description

The events depicted incorporate historical incidents to create an alternate history of a violent anti-corruption rebellion in the fictional town of Sparta, Tennessee, in the aftermath of World War II. It is based in part on the rebellion by veterans against the Mayor’s office in Athens, Tennessee, as well as on the Chicago Haymarket Riot. In Sparta, thousands of veterans return to the States from the War, and are confronted by crippling corruption, as they attempt to drink away the trauma of the War. Faced with bribes and a heap of misdemeanor tickets, the GIs try to retaliate by aggressively supporting the Democratic ticket, but soon discover that elections are not won by voters in Sparta. The Sheriff and his army of untrained deputies go on a killing spree, as they work to steal the election, until the Democrats are compelled to pick up arms to defend their lives and their civil rights. “A riveting account of corruption in politics from the interesting mindset of disgruntled post-war veterans. A combination that will intrigue readers throughout the story.” —David Walpuck, Administrator for the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals “Naive, impressionable, patriotic young men from Anna Faktorovich’s fictitious Sparta, Tennessee joined the fight against Fascism during World War II. They confronted death, cruelty, deprivation and returned home not as heroes but outsiders. Sparta had no use for them—no jobs, no place in society, only bars and the local jail. Finally enough became too much. Outrage triggered rebellion and a new war began. Like the one the returned G.I.s had left in Europe and Asia this one also was for freedom from oppression. “The novel is based on events that occurred in southern Tennessee in 1946. Faktorovich populates The Battle for Democracy with variety of characters—rich, poor, white, African-American—and glimpses of shantytown life, Southern mansions, trips to Hawaii. Among the most fascinating personalities are the members of a Cherokee family that migrated to Sparta after their Oklahoma house was razed to make room for a military installation. Another is Giorgio, whose wilder instincts are tamed by his relationship with the sensible and attractive Haley. Less agreeable are the Ku Klux Klansmen the author describes, the opulence of the town mayor reigning over his miniature fiefdom, the bartender turned cop with an eye for profit at whatever cost. The novel is told with journalistic veracity and with vivid descriptions of places and events. Reading it one believes in what is taking place and participates along with the characters and their struggles to achieve equality and justice.” —Robert Joe Stout, winner of national journalism awards for news writing, author of Hidden Dangers: Mexico on the Brink of Disaster “An intriguing and often funny depiction of widespread governmental corruption in a mid-1940s southern city and the political efforts of a band of World War II veterans and their allies to address it.” —Jere Krakoff, retired civil rights attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project in Washington, D.C. “The Battle for Democracy, Anna Faktorovich’s second historical novel, focuses on events that transpired in Athens, Tennessee, in the wake of World War II, when returning veterans revolted against a corrupt city government. Athens becomes the mythical town of Sparta in Faktorovich’s riveting narrative. She takes a number of liberties with historical fact, reflecting her intent, as she puts it in her provocative introduction to the novel, to ‘step away from historical accuracy and into symbolic truth.’ In doing so she explores the frontier of historical fiction and the critical issue of how far an author can stretch or embroider historical truth in order to create a more artistic and meaningful story. Her characters, especially the returning veterans, are vividly rendered and her style in general is inventive and engaging. As the title indicates, The Battle for Democracy is representative of all those points on the historical timeline when democratic forces have battled greed and corruption, while also speaking directly and forcefully to our world today.” —Lucas Carpenter, C.H. Candler Professor Emeritus of English, Oxford College of Emory University “Anna Faktorovich’s historical novel The Battle for Democracy illuminates a little-known but highly representative incident in American labor history—the battle of returning World War II veterans against the corrupt political machinery of Athens, Tennessee. A timely reminder that the greatest threats to democracy come not from abroad but from our homegrown ideologues and zealots, whether of party, creed, or avarice.” —Robert Begiebing, founding director of the Low-Residency MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction, and Professor of English Emeritus at Southern New Hampshire University “…Veterans of World War II returned from the front and were caught in a storm of wild corruption at home. Two conflicting morals cannot coexist. As a result, they stage a revolt of front-line soldiers against the corrupt Mayor and Sheriff. Social conflict heats up until they are forced to use weapons, and people are killed and injured. The President of the United States and the Governor of the State do not intervene because it is a battle for democracy. The insurgency is victorious. The novel is brilliant and enlightening.” –Vasyl Baziv, organizer of the Ukrainian National Democratic movement (1989-1990), professor at the “Ukraine” International University, and ambassador