Welcome to Hard Times

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E.L. Doctorow's Welcome to Hard Times a taut, unadorned tale about the Old West was a foreshadowing of his unmatched literary style. Always displaying mastery in the historical fiction genre, he accurately depicts the desolate & often hopeless lifestyle experienced by western pioneers. Set in the Dakota Territory, a small town that owed it's existence to a nearby mining facility was utterly destroyed by an apocalypse known as the Bad Man from Bodie. Rampaging his way through town, killing those in his path & ultimately burning the town to the ground, few survivors were left. Those that arose from the ashes were the cowardly unofficial Mayor of the town Blue, an orphaned 12 year old boy, an Indian medicine man & Molly, a badly burned prostitute. Together the group decided to remain in the locale. They were encouraged to rebuild the town when they were joined by an enterprising Russian named Zar & his wagonload of provisions which included a stable of three ladies of the night. Using wood nails & other supplies scavenged from a nearby ghost town they hastily constructed a crude array of shelters that barely enabled them to survive the horrors of winter. The springtime brought hope, other pioneers & miners with money to spend. The town, now named Hard Times began burgeoning. All the while the reminder of the destruction at the hands of the Bad Man from Bodie remained etched in their memory. While Doctorow added to his impressive resume with his subsequent works, Welcome to Hard Times served as an exalted starting point from which this accomplished author honed his style.--Cory D. Slipman