Nevertheless, Finnegan intends to give voice to the communities' stories. He does not always succeed, but his focus affirms again Emerson's dictum that there is properly no history, only biography. At every turn his ideas were upended. This means, I think, that he never expected to become emotionally attached to the people he encountered.
Journalistic distance gives way early to compassionate involvement.
Even Finnegan worries about these issues. Terry learns early that the drug trade offers more economic opportunity than anything else he might do. The story in East Texas centers on a small black community thrust into the spotlight because of a white man's ambitions for the sheriff's office. This campaign sets in motion Operation White Tornado, a raid in which 200 law officers descend on the quiet community looking for drugs. That they find only five ounces of cocaine escapes the notice of the national media on the scene to report on the link between the black townspeople and the drug trade.