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All the Kings Men, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, set in the 1930’s, outlines in a grand style the disillusioned breakdown and general corruption many experience through age or the accretion of money and power.  We see the rise and fall of Willie Stark (based on Huey “Kingfish” Long, a one-time Louisiana politician), from an idealistic man of the people to an overly ambitious, corrupted by success, demagogue.  Nonetheless, despite his drive toward power, Stark still is drawn to the fulfillment of his dreams of service, leaving a complex struggle between his once good, now selfish intentions.  This conflict helps to dilute the often flat stereotypical Southern politician caricature, in favor of a more realistic multifaceted individual.

For me, the true captivation of this story fell outside of the main character.  In my opinion Stark is simply a center point to all the other characters, Jack Burden, Judge Irwin, Anne and Adam Stanton and their former governor father. The story lines which intertwine among all the characters, always leading back to Stark, make an intricate and intensely engrossing account.  An account which ultimately destroys the lives of many, and leads Jack to the conclusion that no individual can ever be responsible for the consequences of any action within the chaos and tumult of history and time.  It’s been a while since I’ve read it, so I won’t even try to recount the plot here, but I can say that this novel spans the emotional spectrum, and leaves you astonished in the end.[John Midgette?]