“The war had been on for quite a while now when Poppa got his notice from the draft. He didn't have to go, but he more or less enlisted. Mother and I and Aunt Mae went down to the train to see him off, and when he left he kissed Mother and he cried, and I'd never seen a man cry before. The train pulled away, and we stood there and watched it go, and Mother kept looking long after it had passed around the hill.”

— John Kennedy Toole, book The Neon Bible

Source: The Neon Bible, Ch. 4, opening paragraph.

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John Kennedy Toole28

American novelist 1937–1969

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