Captivated by Annie O'Hara, a country school teacher in Kansas, young World War I veteran David Reilly courts her, and they soon wed. Over the next twenty years, David farms and Annie teaches while they raise two boys and two girls. After the farm population in the area dwindles and their oldest son is tragically killed in World War II, the family moves from the farm to the small town of Bourbony, where Annie continues her career in education. Their younger son, Michael, after serving in the Korean War, moves to Arizona where he follows in his mother's footsteps and becomes an educator. There, he marries teacher Monica Vargas, a second generation Mexican- American. Pursuing a career in school administration, Michael must deal with social upheavals of the Vietnam War era including student war protests, drug proliferation, racial unrest in the black community, Mexican immigration, and an increasingly militant teacher's organization. Despite hardship and tragedy through the generations, the Reilly family remains united, loving, and ever hopeful that with a solid commitment to education, they can achieve-and help others achieve-a happier, fuller, and more liberated life. Tune of the Hickory Stick is a poignant historical novel about the immigrant experience, the changing social role of women, and the evolution of public education in twentieth-century America.