Reds is a story of the lives of five adolescent boys growing up in a small blue-collar town in America. A youngster named Reds assumes the role of their natural leader on the strength of his quiet but compelling personality. The narrative shapes the major issues of then and now around the lives of these boys as they grow up in a world devastated by the Great Depression and the Second World War. Economic divisions of rich and poor, insufferable racial discrimination, rejection of same-sex desires-these are some of the societal realities encountered by these youngsters who ostensibly want only to play baseball on their own neighborhood team. They do more than that, however, as their lives reflect many of the social challenges that remain with us today. As they grow into adulthood and inevitably to old age, they retain the lessons learned in childhood when they were not yet faced with the norms of social conformity which would rob them of their modest independence. Their otherwise unremarkable lives gain honor and dignity through the universal truths of their story.