Spotswood, Virginia takes place in the racially divisive mid-twentieth century south and includes mob violence, political cowardice, family conflict and mental illness; however, the focus of the collection is on ordinary people forced to make decisions in a morally confused, deeply divided world. In Memorial Mansion, a politically naive librarian is caught between her empathy for a black teacher and her deep love for her racist son. An ambitious politician in Massive Resistance strives to convince himself and his family that his conservative politics will somehow redeem the racist south. In Dirty Dora, an academically backward young girl is sent to reform school for dancing with a black man. A love-sick paper boy in Going Under tries to save a sexually provocative high school girl by bringing her to God. A tour de force collection in the vein of Faulkner and O'Connor, Spotswood Virginia is sure to please.