Publisher's Synopsis
From Appalachia to the St. Joe River Valley of North Idaho-a tale of struggle and adventure, of guns and moonshine and madness, and impossible love.
Bill, Jack, and Al-the Benton boys, as they were commonly known in the St. Maries/St. Joe River region of northern Idaho-came from humble beginnings. All were born in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina-hillbillies, by Al's own admittance-banjo-picking, tall-taletelling, moonshine-making mountain people. And they were moonshine-drinkers, as well. Stitched together from Al's notebooks, cocktail napkins, and scraps of paper, this is the story of the Howell family's journey from the Carolina hills to the Inland Northwest, of how Al and his trouble-seeking brother Bill ended up in the logging camps of northern Idaho in 1920, how Bill brought his knowledge of southern moonshine-making to a thirsty country, and of the raucous, alcohol-soaked, ultimately tragic years that followed.
