E. L. Doctorow

FBI agents pay a visit to a communist man and his wife in their New York apartment, and, after a trial that divides the country, the couple are sent to the electric chair for treason. Later, in 1967, their son Daniel struggles to understand the tragedy of their lives. But while he is tormented by his past, Daniel is also haunted, like millions of others, by the need to come to terms with a country destroying itself in the Vietnam War.

Welcome to America at the turn of the twentieth century, where the rhythms of ragtime set the beat. This dazzling literary mosaic brings to life an era of dire poverty, fabulous wealth, and incredible change.