This now-classic novel by Richard McKenna enjoyed great critical acclaim and commercial success when it was first published in 1962. Set in China on the eve of revolution, the book tells the story of an old u.s. Navy gun...This now-classic novel by Richard McKenna enjoyed great critical acclaim and commercial success when it was first published in 1962. Set in China on the eve of revolution, the book tells the story of an old u.s. Navy gunboat, the, and her dedicated crew of "Sand pebbles" On patrol in the far reaches of the yangtze river to show the flag and protect American missionaries and businessmen from bandits.