“The Agitators: A Reminiscence” is a powerful new work of historical fiction about media influence on local issues. It is written by John Mark Pitner, a Carroll County native.
The narrator, Shadrach Greenwood, is sitting on the courthouse steps in Carrollton, Mississippi, gazing at the town square’s Confederate flag flapping in the breeze. He’s reminiscing about the adventures he had 50 years ago with teen friends Matthew and Penny while the adults around them fought over social issues.
In 1968, Penny rides her pony to the town square. Matthew pleads with his parents for a motorcycle. Shadrach pushes back on adults enforcing racial norms. The three hope a ruling on integration will allow them to attend school with their friends in the fall.
Sam, the newspaper publisher and father of teen Matthew, unwittingly fuels the community’s divisions through biased opinion pieces. Interactions with a Black cotton farmer, public school administrators, and even Shadrach cause Sam to report on local issues differently. He resolves to use his influence to repair divisions and improve community relations. In an impetuous attempt to unite his town, Sam convinces a Hollywood studio to use Carrollton as the location for a movie based on William Faulkner’s “The Reivers: A Reminiscence.” However, when a violent group learns of the diverse cast coming to town, long-simmering tensions boil over and crosses burn.
“The Agitators: A Reminiscence” is a fast-paced, dialog-driven story written in a style that induces visualization and evokes cinematic imagery. The novel vividly illustrates how—decades before social media—local newspapers in small rural communities could inflame passions, influence opinions, and drive consequential change. Historical events, often involving racial justice leaders who were labeled “agitators” at the time, are presented through the clever use of original newspaper clippings. The narrator interrupts his own omniscient point of view periodically to address the reader and recount how these important events affected him. In these moments, he uses clippings from 1886 through 1968 in conjunction with typewritten essays he wrote as a teen to prove the truth of his reminiscences, often to startling effect. Through it all, the narrative reminds readers life goes on, with hope for the future, thanks to the agitators.
“The Agitators: A Reminiscence” is published by Mid-State Publishing Company and its imprint, Bull Bay, and is available February 3, 2026. Learn more at www.theagitatorsbook.com.
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