This delightfully humorous satire is presented as an historical report of the famous Pushcart War. The attention to detail and documentation of events creates the aura of a serious piece of research. The first hint of this "seriousness" is found in the foreword written by Professor Lyman Cumberly of New York University, author of The Large Object Theory of History. Dr. Cumberly commends Merrill "for her zeal in tracking down much behind-the-scenes material never before published." A masterful last paragraph in Dr. Cumberly's remarks reinforces the authenticity of this mock historical document. In it he refers to one error in the author's reporting: "a minor error in an otherwise impressive effort."

Merrill places all of the characters clearly on one side or the other, good or evil. Indeed, all represent the many stereotypes people are guilty of upholding, but for the purposes of the satire these...