In Dubious Battle

At once a persistently fast-paced finely observed novel about societal unrest and a story about a young man's quest for identity The Unrest is a novel about a young man's struggle for identity. In Dubious Battle a strike by migrant labourers against predatory landlords spins out of control in California apple country as principled disobedience turns into fanatical fanaticism. Jim Nolan a once aimless man who finds himself in the middle of the strike momentarily becomes its leader and is ultimately crushed in its service is caught up in the chaos.