Bennie Moten's Blues — Joel Goldman

In the 1920s, Kansas City was a wide-open town. Prohibition was ignored because the people were thirsty. Graft and corruption turned the governing wheel. Meatpacking drove the marketplace. Jazz made the body swing and the heart sing. And hate divided white and black, threatening to burn everything down. Bennie Moten's Blues tells the story of three Kansas City families whose lives intersect as each reaches for their version of the American dream. Portia and Oliver Bandy, two generations removed from slavery, struggle to free themselves from the shackles of racism. Avi Kaplan, a young, idealistic lawyer, is determined to repair the world, while his sister, Miriam, chafes against traditions standing between her and the man she loves. Jackson Crane runs his slaughterhouse with ruthless efficiency, letting his son, Russ - a blunt and violent instrument - do his dirty work. Bandy works for Crane until he leads a wildcat strike for equal pay. Avi Kaplan defends Bandy when he's accused in the disappearance of a young white woman. A mob comes for Bandy in the dead of night demanding justice at the end of a rope. Life, death and love hang in the balance.