migrant worker family. Trot Spruill – the youngest Spruill, who suffers from a crippled arm. He is also mentally slow, and is the only member of the family, other than his sister Tally, to whom Hank is never cruel. Cowboy – the Mexican who kills Hank, carries a switchblade and is quick to use it. Additional characters The remainder of the Spruill family—consisting of the parents, Leon and Lucy, who fear Hank, and their two nephews, Bo and Dale. Pop and Pearl Watson—owners of the local store, a meeting place for the community. Miguel—leader of the Mexicans who work for the Chandlers. Reverend/Brother Akers—the fiery minister of the Black Oak Baptist Church. Jimmy Dale—An uncle of Luke's, who works at a Buick plant in Michigan and offers to help his cousin Jesse find employment if he and his family relocate north. Stacy—Jimmy Dale's snobbish "Yankee" bride, who is horrified by the Chandlers' living conditions and becomes the butt of Luke's practical joke as retaliation for her arrogant attitude. Stick Powers—Black Oak's lazy overweight sheriff, who asserts his authority when necessary but would prefer to catnap in his car parked in the shade. The Latcher family—A family of poor sharecroppers, whose daughter Libby gives birth to a child she claims is fathered by Ricky Chandler. Dewayne—Luke's best friend. Ricky Chandler—Luke's 19-year-old uncle - in effect, more of an elder brother - who is fighting in the Korean War. He is never seen and referenced only in letters and flashbacks. Television adaptation On April 27, 2003, CBS broadcast a television adaptation directed by Alfonso Arau for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Aside from advancing Luke's age from seven to ten and adding a brief scene at the end, Patrick Sheane Duncan's teleplay remained faithful to its source and frequently used Grisham's dialogue verbatim. The cast included Scott Glenn as Pappy, Logan Lerman as Luke, Robert Sean Leonard as Jesse, Melinda Dillon as Gran, Arija Bareikis as Kathleen, Audrey Marie Anderson as Tally, Luis Esteban Garcia as Cowboy, and Pablo Schreiber as Hank. References External links 2001 American novels Novels by John Grisham 2003 television films 2003 films American novels adapted into films Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Novels set in Arkansas Fiction set in 1952 Doubleday (publisher) books American novels adapted into television shows