Chapter 25 Summary

This chapter describes how Savannah's news stories have shifted away from Jim Williams. Change is taking place in Savannah. Charismatic Christianity is beginning to influence Savannahian spirituality, much to the chagrin of more conservative Christians. The city is increasingly becoming more and more isolated from the rest of the world, and the economy is suffering because of it. Residents of Savannah are more and more dissatisfied with the local art college, which seems to breed liberally minded students, whose ideas often clash with those of longtime Savannah residents.

The relationship between blacks and whites in Savannah is discouraging as well. The city's crime, unemployment, dropout, and pregnancy rates are unusually high, as well as disproportionate to the ratio of blacks to whites living in the city. The prominent social scene also suffers. The number of members in the Married Women's Card Club has...