A Man in Full

Atlanta, Georgia, a racially diverse boomtown in the late 20th century with plenty of new riches and cunning politicians, serves as the scene. The main character is Charles Croker, a late middle-aged conglomerate king from Atlanta whose enormous ego has finally collided with reality. Croker was a college football standout. Charlie has a young, demanding second wife, a mostly vacant office building with an enormous debt burden, and a 29,000-acre plantation where he hunts quail.

Conrad Hensley, a young, idealistic father of two, is descending into the murky depths of the American judicial system after losing his job at the Croker Global Foods factory outside Oakland.

And back in Atlanta, when star Georgia Tech running back Fareek “the Canon” Fanon, a homegrown product of the city’s slums, is accused of date-raping the daughter of a pillar of the white establishment, upscale black lawyer Roger White II is asked to represent Fanon and help keep the city’s delicate racial balance from blowing sky-high.

With all the energy, humor, and intelligence that have made him our most beloved author, Wolfe portrays modern America to us. Networks of illegal Asian immigrants crisscrossing the continent, everyday life behind bars, and dubious real estate syndicates are just a few examples. Charlie Croker’s deliverance from his tribulations provides an unforgettable denouement to the most widely awaited, hilarious and telling novel America has seen in ages — Tom Wolfe’s most outstanding achievement to date.