MacKinlay Kantor has woven a compelling, appealing novel about the life of a simple American man who held in his care the destinies of hundreds of boys. With rare insight and sympathy, MacKinlay Kantor has created the memorable Lem Siddons, who gave forty years of his wisdom, the fund of his laughter, the knowledgable touch, the sweetness and love that were his, to generations of Boy Scouts. Not every boy who passed khaki-clothed along his life won the world's respect or the Scoutmaster's pride. There were some misfits, fallers-by-the-wayside...sure. But Lem Siddons knew his reward every waking moment of his life and in his dreams as well. His story is one you will remember as that of the closest of your friends: his love for the delicate and freckled Vida that grew with a lifetime, his son Downey who wanted to crowd the years. MacKinlay Kantor has set the scene for God and My Country in a small town very much like Webster City, Iowa, where he was born, and has dedicated the book to his Scoutmaster of those days. It is a perfect example of MacKinlay Kantor's special genius for capturing the full flavor of a small American town, and of its people.