EricCWelch

The first story in the collection deals with prejudice and is entitled "Uncle Sidney and the Mexicans." It concerns Hack, who picks crops during the summer. He is intrigued by, and wants to date, Juanita, a Mexican girl working with them. Hack invites her out, much to the consternation of the local hoodlums and the white religious establishment personified by preacher Willis, who owns the fields they work on. A cross is burned on Uncle Sidney's lawn where Hack is staying. Uncle Sidney is not what you would call a liberal-minded man, but he takes matters into his own hands and begins to compile a list of "genuine sons of bitches and possible sons of bitches." Then he loads the charred cross on the back of his truck and drives up to each suspected participant, offering to return the cross to its rightful owner. A marvelously funny yet tragic scene. The results are awesome.