A very white-washed kind of history in which, according to the author, everyone was equal and there was no pollution or racism. Except that the author mentions pig waste being dumped into the river shortly before he praises how clean the water was. Except that I live in this area and racism definitely exists and existed then. It's a pity the author chose to present the area in such a sanitized way, because they are a relatively good storyteller. Life in a small mill town in that era is fascinating; however, I simply cannot trust the story as written because I know that it glosses over some hard truths.