Meanwhile, race riots unfold in city streets and first-wave feminism gears up for women’s suffrage. The year is categorized by a never ending fight between those who desire radical social change and those who want to maintain the status quo.Īs the American Federation of Labor grows stronger, union workers begin striking, demanding fair pay and working conditions. The city of Boston is a microcosm for a country in unrest, a country pulling in opposite directions between the system and its subjects who want a better life for themselves. The novel follows two protagonists, Danny Coughlin, a Boston police officer whose family comes from a proud Irish background with a special place in their hearts for law enforcement, and Luther Laurence, a black munitions worker who flees to Boston in order to escape his past. This is the backdrop for Dennis Lehane’s novel, “The Given Day.” Known primarily as the author of “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island,” Lehane paints a picture of the United States that is not dissimilar from the country today. Post-war tensions are high, the Red Scare is in full effect and at the end of summer, the police force will go on strike.
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