We Fished All Night by Motley, Willard - 1951

New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc, 1951. 2nd Printing. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good. Second printing. Jacket spine faded. 1951 Hard Cover. x, 560 pp. A novel set in post-war Chicago's, indicting both political corruption and moral decadence. "In 1947 Willard Motley's first novel, Knock on Any Door appeared to critical acclaim. A work of gritty naturalism, it concerns the life of Nick Romano, an Italian American altar boy who turns to crime because of poverty and the difficulties of the immigrant experience. It was an immediate hit, selling 47,000 copies during its first three weeks in print. In 1949 it became a movie starring Humphrey Bogart. In response to critics who charged Motley with avoiding issues of race by writing about white characters, Motley said "My race is the human race." His second novel, We Fished All Night was not hailed as a success, and after it appeared Motley moved to Mexico to start over.