Written by by PAUL BOIS at breitbart.com
Author and screenwriter Michael McGruther, whose 2000 film Tigerland starring Colin Farell has become a cult hit in recent years, spotlights America’s “forgotten people” in his new book The Tracks We Make, a Rust Belt tale that offers equal parts heartbreak, sincerity, hope, wisdom, and nostalgia.
Now available on Amazon, The Tracks We Make tells the story of high school senior Pete McCloskey as he struggles to forge a path for himself in a dying rural New York town during the early 1990s — a time when the ugly effects of globalism and economic shifts began to emerge in neighborhoods that were once thriving hubs of middle-class prosperity. With a dad in prison and a mother on the lam, Pete’s very existence becomes a fight for survival, whether it’s hiding money from his alcoholic older brother (his only guardian), battling bullies at school, or just simply keeping his grades up in the hopes making it to graduation. The Tracks We Make weaves a powerful tale about the human spirit and hooks the reader from start to finish. A must-read in today’s cultural climate, rivaled only by Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) best-seller Hillbilly Elegy.
Speaking with Breitbart News in an exclusive interview, Michael McGruther explained how he pulled from his own personal history of growing up in a town like Snydersville to create the story at the heart of The Tracks We Make.
“Born in 1972, I witnessed firsthand the transformative and often disheartening effects of globalism on my hometown, a Western New York State community, that inspired the fictional Snydersville,” he said.
“In my youth, the town was a bustling hub of activity, embodying the quintessential American downtown spirit,” he continued. “However, as the years passed, particularly with the arrival of big-box stores like Walmart, I saw a gradual but irreversible decline. The once-thriving local businesses began to shutter, leaving behind a shell of what used to be a vibrant community center.”