When a tornado nearly wipes the town of Croy, Oklahoma, off the map, Lerner Alquist, its wealthiest citizen, vows to memorialize the wife he lost by building a magnificent library. It is a splendid goal, but hard times keep delaying it. By 1952, Alquist needs one final ornament to make it complete: a sculpture over the main entrance. Pursuing that vision sets in motion a series of events that uncovers the racism, religious bigotry, and sexual tensions that underlie the town. If I Remember Him blends historical context with public triumphs and personal tragedies to portray a town torn between its better angels and its old wounds.
