Faces in the Crowd is not so much a novel as a series of vignettes collected by Flanagan over several decades as a journalist and observer. Although written for teenagers, not all of the stories are about young people. Flanagan's purpose is to give some small insight into the human condition, and to highlight the small acts of kindness and courage that occur every day but are often overlooked. These are the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. (Source: Publisher's website)