Thirty-five miles east of Austin, McDade, Texas is quintessential small-town America. McDade's colorful history, from its founding in 1871 as a Wild West boomtown and continuing to the much quieter present day, comes to life in The Soul of a Small Texas Town. David Wharton's contemporary photographs of the community and its residents and his accompanying narrative reveal growth and decline, shared family histories, traditions, crises, and celebrations.

The book explores the impact of local issues, discusses how regional, national, and international events affect the community, and speculates about the town's uncertain future. A fascinating story, it is also an important reflection of life in small rural towns throughout the nation.