Elbow Room

McPherson's second collection of short stories won the Pulitzer Prize, an honor it richly deserved for his fine writing and unique perspective. The range here is astounding: "The Story of a Dead Man," is reminiscent of "bad-man" folk songs like "Railroad Bill" or "Stagolee"; "The Faithful" shows the clash of generations in the story of a stubborn barber; while the title story depicts McPherson's uncompromising, yet optimistic, vision for an integrated America.