{"product_id":"9780970534422","title":"I Hear Men Talking","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis work first appeared in a story collection in 1984, six years after the author, octogenarian Meridel Le Sueur, had rescued the yellowing manuscript from her basement. Strikingly parallel to Le Sueur's city novel \u003ci\u003eThe Girl\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eI Hear Men Talking\u003c\/i\u003e was written primarily in the 1930s, depicting life in rural Iowa during the Depression.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the novel the girl Penelope runs about the town, visiting its principal actors and recovering their stories: the ruined Mr. Littlefield recalls his bygone days of eloquence; the self-deceived Miss Shelly provides a mystery for Penelope to unravel; the farmers talking behind the closed doors of their houses stir up a fresh brew of revolt. Penelope's mother Mona and grandmother Gee recall the author's own family in troubled times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this revised edition the novel stands alone. Linda Ray Pratt has carefully re-edited the manuscript and provides a new introduction. In an afterword written in 1984, Meridel Le Sueur considers her reasons for publishing the work: \"The artist's duty now is to recreate a new image of the world, to return to the people their need and vision . . . . of a new birth of abundance and equality.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"West End Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47016809169136,"sku":"9780970534422","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780970534422_p0.jpg?v=1763875953","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780970534422","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}