Angel City
Angel City $10.95 (Softbound, 184 pages) 
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During the mid-1970s, a newspaper article detailing the shocking mistreatment of migrant workers in South Florida deeply moved Patrick Smith, capturing his attention and igniting a passionate commitment for several years. The article recounted the harrowing tale of a migrant crew chief who had held his workers in enslavement for more than two years, depriving them of wages and freedom while subjecting them to brutal beatings. Despite the crew chief’s arrest and subsequent court appearance, he was released because none of the terrified workers were willing to testify against him.
Appalled that migrant camps persisted in the 1970s, Smith journeyed to Miami, where he meticulously combed through old newspapers. There, he uncovered numerous accounts of migrants being held in bondage by crew chiefs, often unbeknownst to the field owners. Smith embarked on what he referred to as “physical research,” dedicating his weekends and vacations to the cause. He disguised himself in shabby attire, grew a beard, and infiltrated the ranks of migrant laborers in Homestead, participating in the seasonal crop picking.
Earning a meager $35 per week, enduring squalid living conditions, and navigating potential conflicts, he observed and absorbed the sensory experiences of the labor camps. Astonishingly, no one suspected that the unassuming man with a Southern drawl was, in fact, a writer.
After more than a year of this immersive “research” for his novel, which he eventually titled “Angel City,” Smith composed the book in just a few weeks due to his profound familiarity with the grim realities of the camps and fields. When asked about his motivation for writing such a novel, Smith declared, “The initial step toward eradicating injustice is to bring it to light, and this was my primary objective in crafting this novel.”
“Angel City” follows the Teeters, a family from West Virginia seeking a better life in Florida but instead finding themselves trapped in a migrant labor camp, enduring dehumanizing conditions. Smith’s exposé of these camps through “Angel City” indeed fulfilled its intended purpose, leading to positive change. While the novel serves as a powerful social commentary, it also stands as a well-crafted narrative and a work of literary art.
The adaptation of “Angel City” into a CBS “Movie of the Week,” featuring actors such as Ralph Waite, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jennifer Warren, Mitch Ryan, Robert MacNaughton, and Paul Winfield, further amplified the Teeters’ story and shed light on the grim reality of migrant labor camp conditions to an even broader audience.
As interest in Patrick Smith’s novels grows, literary historians are likely to rank this one near the top of his output.
Angel City $10.95 (Softbound, 184 pages)
Not sure if you’ll like it? You can read the entire 1st chapter of Angel City right now, for free.
The following video clip used in his son Rick’s touring multimedia show, “Patrick Smith’s Florida is A Land Remembered.”
