Oklahoma Books

Speaking in Tongues is a novel that I bought on a whim, knowing nothing about it. I simply picked it up at random, wanting to try something totally new to me. What a wonderful surprise this book was. It is a fascinating story of a married woman living in France. The protagonist is a fully developed character created with warmth and insight, and delightful humor. Linda Ashour writes powerfully and wittily; she deserves a wider audience ready to appreciate a rich reading experience.

"Spirits of America" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chresotmathy

This is an outstanding book for any one with interest in Native American history. I learned some facts I never knew before. Very well worth the price paid.

A man comes back to town, a successful doctor. But he is not looking to rekindle his past. Still, he gets put on auction, the
highest bidder winning a date. And that's when Leandra steps in.
She remembers Todd from years ago, and is determined to
exact a little coy revenge. This story heats up and
takes on some delightful twists. Great summer romance read!

An excellent overview of South Dakota rock art by a noted expert in the field. I had particular interest in the Cave Hills area, just south of where I live in North Dakota.

In 1883, when Hubert Collins was 11 years old and living in Iowa, he talked his father into letting him leave school to join his older brother on his recently acquired ranch just off the Chisholm Trail where it crosses the Cimarron River (present-day Dover, OK). He stayed at brother Ralph's Red Fork Ranch for 15 months before returning to Iowa. The experiences garnered there would last a lifetime, and later in life, after a successful career as an internationally respected engineer, and having seen the country change so much, he decided an account of what he had seen and learned during his youthful Red Fork Ranch days was worth writing. He spent four years gathering information, writing to relatives and acquaintances of that time period and conducting research in the Oklahoma Historical Society, before beginning his task.

Because of his initial youthful perspective and the passage of time, probably some of what Collins writes may not be absolutely true. He mentions, for example, some visitors to the ranch by name, but further investigation indicates Collins must have been mistaken. But this really doesn't matter because it's not the specifics of names and dates that Collins is interested in, but in life in general for a boy (and the adults) around him. The ranch was near the Darlington Indian Agency and he spent much time among the Indians, mainly Cheyenne and Arapahoe, playing with and befriending Indian kids his own age. He admires and respects the Indian ways, a view he carried over into his adult years. Because of its location the ranch was a busy place, and Collins's observations are fresh and lively. Although written as an adult, he tries to relate events as he must have witnessed them as a pre-teen; maybe in his mind's eye that perspective never left him. And that is the biggest satisfaction with the book, the novel, innocent-in-youth vision he brings to his chronicle. The book is wonderfully entertaining and will be enjoyed by all who like reading about the Old West on the Plains just before settlement would begin in earnest.

This excerpt is from one of the finest autobiographies I know. Appelfeld tells of the eight - year old Jewish child who had to survive on his own and avoid being captured by the Nazis. There are many harrowing parts to the story, and many instances of horrible human cruelty. That Appelfeld emerged from these early years not only to become an important writer but to become a considerable human being is a miracle. For anyone who has read this excerpt I strongly recommend the book as a whole.

What a brilliant way of looking at the world of "reading". Connections with art and religion: she is light years ahead of anyone else in her analysis of black culture!

In 1976-1977, archaeological investications were made on certain portions of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma to determine whether wave-action and shoreline erosion had damaged area cultural resources. Over 150 sites were checked, of which 34 were considered Register-eligible. Some sites would, if additional investigations were made, contribute to the closing of certain information gaps in the prehistoric record of the state. At the time of survey, sites were exposed by unusually low river levels. Most sites have since been re-inundated. The depth of analysis continues to make this a valuable reference work.

This is the definitve account, taken from over two thousand pages of documents from the National Archives, of the tragic action of the Cherokee Commission that ultimately removed fifteen million acres of land from nearly twenty tribes in Indian Territory and placed them in the public domain.
The intimidating, dishonest, subversive action of the Commission toward Cherokees, Pawnees, Poncas, Tonakawas, Wichitas, Cheyennes, Araphos, Sac and Fox and other tribes resulted in their accepting allotments in severalty and then selling the surplus to the U.S. Government. The surplus then went to white settlers and resulted in statehood for Oklahoma. The story of the bad faith strategy of the Commissioners and the heart breaking efforts of the tribal leaders to retain their land is familiar to those that study U.S.-Indian relations. It is an old story and not one designed to instill pride in this period of American history. Sadly, such efforts continue to date.
Highly recommended.