Main Characters: Joe Keller: A factory owner who was accused of ordering the production of faulty machine heads. Steve Deever convicted of producing faulty machine heads resulting in the death of 24 pilots; Chris Keller: Brother of Larry and in love with Ann; Ann Deever: Larry's old girlfriend in love with Chris; Larry a pilot in WW2, shot down and presumed dead.
             Setting: A Midwestern town in the late 1940's
             Plot Summary: When Chris brings Ann back home to marry her, a crisis breaks out because she was his presumed dead brother's girlfriend. But her brother George comes back with new evidence that Joe did have a part in the production of faulty machine heads, Chris confronts his father and his father confesses but tells his son that it had nothing to do with the death of his brother. Ann gives to Chris a letter from Larry the night he was presumed missing; it turns out that Larry heard of the news of the faulty machine heads and committed suicide in shame that his family took part in the death of his fellow pilots, when Joe reads the letter he kills himself because he cannot deal with the fact that he took part in killing his son.
             Theme: I think that the theme in this story is that you cannot run from the past and that in the end you have to pay for your actions. Even though Joe thought that because he escaped conviction he would never have to pay for his actions. But he did. He paid for his actions with the death of his sons and in the end with his life.
             Personal Reaction: I really liked this book. I really like the author and how he uses the American Family and the different scenarios in his works. I liked how even though this book was predictable it wasn't. Originally I thought that Larry died because of the faulty machine heads, but in reality he was so ashamed of his father's actions.
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