Robert Browne

Tune of the Hickory Stick: a Novel Robert Browne

Captivated by Annie O'Hara, a country school teacher in Kansas, young World War I veteran David Reilly courts her, and they soon wed. Over the next twenty years, David farms and Annie teaches while they raise two boys and two girls. After the farm population in the area dwindles and their oldest son is tragically killed in World War II, Michael moves to Arizona, where Annie continues her career in education. Their younger son, Michael, after serving in the Korean War, follows in his mother's footsteps and becomes a teacher. He marries another educator, Monica Vargas, a second-generation Mexican American. When Michael pursues a career in school administration, he must deal with the various upheavals of the Vietnam era, including student protests, drug proliferation, racial unrest in the black community, a militant teachers' organization, and more. Despite hardship and tragedy through the generations, the Reilly family remains united, loving, and ever hopeful that with a solid commitment to education, they can achieve-and help others achieve-a happier, fuller, and more liberated life. Tune of the Hickory Stick is a poignant historical novel about the immigrant experience, women's rights, and the evolution of public education in twentieth-century America.