William Bradford Huie’s first novel, Mud on the Stars, is largely autobiographical and is set in the years 1929-1942. As in many of his later books, the theme here is of the education of the inexperienced youth, which is, after all, the quintessential American story. Drawing on his own boyhood, Huie gives the reader a detailed account of rural life and race relations in the Tennessee Valley in the early years of this century, including a vivid picture of college life at The University of Alabama during the Great Depression. Through a careful weaving of characters and events, fact and fiction, Huie’s novel captures the tumultuous times before World War II in the urban South, times of social unrest and testing of new political ideologies. The book’s publication in 1942 was a huge financial success, by the economic standards of the day, and not only brought Huie the acclaim his talent warranted but also focused an approving national spotlight on this prolific Alabama writer.

William Bradford Huie (1910-1986) was the author of hundreds of essays, articles, short stories, and 21 books, including his best known The Execution of Private Slovik, The Revolt of Mamie Stover, and The Americanization of Emily. Donald R. Noble is Associate Professor of English at the University of Alabama.

“A very interesting and entertaining story that gives us a good chunk of Alabama social history in the process. Huie is a significant Alabama voice, and here he brings together fact and fiction in a particularly intriguing way.” —Fred Hobson, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill