By 2006, as the book ends, Corey has become the publisher of the local paper (with Mencken books at hand).
Corey's parents are also fully, lovingly described. His father is a plumber and electrician who had worked for years at various Metarey properties. His mother has misgivings about her son's closeness to the Metareys. She fears her son is coming to be closer to the Metareys than to his family.
Corey does become very close to the Metareys. Liam gets him into an elite private school and supports him there financially.
And later Corey marries one of the Metareys' daughters.
As a teen in 1971 and 1972, Corey appears to admire Senator Bonwiller. But 35 years later he recalls, "If I learned one thing over my time with Henry Bonwiller, it's that mass politics is an emotional struggle above all, a primal battle that is more charismatic and animalistic than either ethical or reason."
America, America is about change as time goes by, sometimes quickly, sometimes horribly, sometimes ironically.
Theo Lippman Jr., a former Sun editorial writer, is author of "Senator Ted Kennedy" and co-author of "Muskie."
Excerpt
"There were always shady dealings. Show me a politician who doesn't have them."
