Shade of the Raintree: The Life and Death of Ross Lockridge, Jr.Raintree County, the first novel by Ross Lockridge, Jr., was the publishing event of 1948. Excerpted in Life magazine, it was a Book of the Month Club Main Selection, won MGM's Novel Award and a movie deal, and stood at the top of the nation's bestseller lists. Unfortunately, Lockridge's first novel was also his last. Two months after its publication the 33 year old author from Bloomington, Indiana, took his own life. His son Larry was five years old