Valley of Fools

The city is a watershed. Every street leads down. Just start walking, sooner or later you''ll end up down by the river. Valley of Fools is the story of a rebellious young man, Emerson, who comes of age in a home for ''depressed morons and crazy bastards.'' At age 24, he suddenly finds himself out in the streets with nothing but his principles, a bad attitude, and a suitcase full of underwear and cigarettes. Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, Emerson is caught in the media spotlight, the central figure of a political scandal involving the storage of nuclear waste on the greatest river in the nation, and an election campaign focused on providing dental health care for the homeless population of the city. Among the bums, madmen, and visionaries of the Brewery Street Community, Emerson learns about truth, pride, and the cost of living, where ''it''s damn hard enough without watching somebody else not even try.''