Oklahoma Books

This book is interesting, adventurous, informative, accurate, captivating - a must read! It involves North American Indian history during the last half of the 1800's, in the Northwest US and Western Canada. The major focus is on the Blackfeet Indians of this area. Learn how critical the land and the buffalo were to so many Indian Nations, and how they lost both of these critical necessities of their life and culture. Read this book and learn that there were peaceful Indians, and there were violent Indians, rather like the rest of the world! Read this book and you will never think or say the North American Indians "were savages", as many people still do! This book should also be a must read for every high school student in North America! I highly recommend it!

This book is interesting, adventurous, informative, accurate, captivating - a must read! It involves North American Indian history during the last half of the 1800's, in the Northwest US and Western Canada. The major focus is on the Blackfeet Indians of this area. Learn how critical the land and the buffalo were to so many Indian Nations, and how they lost both of these critical necessities of their life and culture. Read this book and learn that there were peaceful Indians, and there were violent Indians, rather like the rest of the world! Read this book and you will never think or say the North American Indians "were savages", as many people still do! This book should also be a must read for every high school student in North America! I highly recommend it!

Dangerous Lover was part of the five book Oklahoma Brand Series by Maggie Shayne and it was absolutely one of the best series I have read so far. Prior to Oklahoma Brand is the Texas Brand Series of which there are nine books and should be read first. Maggie Shayne is one of my favorite writers who adds a little suspense along with romance in her Brand collection. I highly recommend this series and all of Maggie Shaynes books!

Selene Brand hadn't planned to tell her family she was a witch this way! But after discovering the injured man who fell at her feet, she knew it was more important to get him help than to keep her identity as a witch a secret. Unfortunately, Corey has amnesia and all he remembers is Selene standing over him with her athame. Corey's attempted killers haven't given up, though, and Corey and Selene find themselves on the run while sorting out their attraction to one another.

DANGEROUS LOVER continues Maggie Shayne's spectacular series, The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands. Selene's story is one this reviewer has greatly anticipated and Ms. Shayne did not disappoint! Selene's unwavering faith in her belief system against her mother's horror and Corey's disbelief demonstrates the strength that is the core of each of the Brand characters. Maggie Shayne has a strong sense of her own spirituality and she incorporates some of those beliefs into DANGEROUS LOVER through Selene. This is not a preachy novel, however, but one of acceptance and tolerance. DANGEROUS LOVER has a powerful impact with the depth of emotions conveyed and the overall message is thought provoking.

DANGEROUS LOVER is not the sort of book you want to end. Maggie Shayne's splendid pacing of the action interspersed with just the right amount of romance makes this an absolute winner and perhaps one of this reviewer's favorites in The Oklahoma All-Girl Brands series. Maggie Shayne is arguably one of the best authors out there today and DANGEROUS LOVER certainly proves this point! Now if only we can read Casey's story....

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians is a treasury of photographs rescued from history. The pictures taken by Benedicte Wrensted, a Danish immigrant, came from the photography studio that she opened and worked in from 1895 to 1912. Both white and Native American residents of the area came to her, especially members of the Northern Shoshone, Lemhi, and Bannock ("Sho-Ban") tribes; some Native clients chose to wear traditional Native clothing while others preferred Western-style suits or dresses, yet Wrensted always let the choice to be theirs. Many of the Native photographs were later appropriated by books which stripped the names of the subjects. A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians restores names to the photographs, and features an extensive discussion of who the photographer and the subjects were, as well as varying Native attitudes toward being photographed. The wealth of quality black-and-white images as well as the thoughtful and objective analysis make A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians a "must" for Native American Studies shelves.

This quality book will be a delight for a wide variety of purchasers, whether their interests lie in biography, history, photography, or Idaho Indians. It will serve as a sourcebook for scholarly research because of its very complete set of endnotes, bibliography, and index. Finally, the careful printing on glossy paper of its many high-resolution photographs makes it an art book of the first order. UPDATE: The book has been designated Idaho Book of the Year 2006 by the Idaho Library Association.

Received the book in a better-than-timely manner, since I wanted it to arrive by Valentine's Day, and it wasn't supposed to arrive until slightly after Valentine's Day. It arrived well before Valentine's Day, and I was very pleased.

In 1950, John W. Nichols created the world's first public oil and gas drilling fund registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The novel idea, which attracted some of the nations wealthiest investors, changed the way drilling programs were funded. As a young CPA, Nichols had become intrigued with the petroleum industry and how he could legally shelter income of Americans who were being gouged by high tax rates.

Nichols' poineering efforts in financing oil and gas operations had a dramatic, worldwide impact on the energy industry. For his efforts, Nichols has been called one of the 100 most influential individuals in petroleum history.

Nichols' creation, Devon Energy Corporation, is now a $21 billion company and the nation's largest oil and natural gas company, producing four percent of the natural gas used in America.

This is the story of an exceptional innovator, shrewd entrepreneur, generous philanthropist, devoted father, loving husband, and a man of deep religious faith who always played by the rules and lived the American dream.

This is a readable and scholarly work that should be part ofthe library of anyone who is an aficionado of the Old West. This bookexplained to me not only who Kit Carson was, but why he was significant. Although the author makes a good case for why Carson can be considered a hero, he also doesn't shy away from commenting on the man's mistakes. The biography seemed thoughtful, balanced, clear, concise, and thoroughly researched. Moreover, this book is particularly special because, in addition to the author's biography, it contains the complete text of Kit Carson's own autobiography, along with biographer Carter's helpful annotations to it. There are also some photos giving the biography and autobiography an added dimension. Two more points: Carson's life is exciting-- he was a mountain man, an explorer, a scout, a cavalry officer, and more! Also, this biography is only about ten years old, so you know that Carter is basing his inferences on fairly reliable, up-to-date research! All in all, I'd say that whether you're a novice or an expert on the subject, if you had to read or own just one book about Kit Carson, this should be it.

Kit Carson is one of my favorite historical figures and this is my favorite book about him. Carter republishes and annotates Carson's laconic autobiography of adventures as a fur trapper, mountain man, indian fighter, soldier, and explorer. Carson went from being an illiterate saddlers's apprentice in 1825 to one of the famous men in America by the end of his life in 1868. A small, unprepossessing man, he never learned to read or write, never made any money, and was modest, even ashamed of his fame. Arguably, Carson lived through more adventures than anyone else in American history.

Carter admires his subject which is good because Kit Carson is sometimes portrayed these days as a monstrous genocidiare because of his role in defeating the Navajos and forcing them to move to a reservation on which many of them died. In reality, Carson was a relatively humane soldier who often defended the rights of the Indians and who became a good agent on their behalf. But, unlettered and overly impressed by the authority, judgments, and education of his superiors, Carson didn't possess the moral courage and confidence to challenge his orders to suppress the Navajos.

Carter's research into Carson's life is thorough. He employs the unusual technique of publishing Carson's autobiography as written and commenting on it in extensive footnotes. Some might find this irritating as your eyes must move from text to footnote constantly. Carter also publishes a large collection of photographs of Carson, examines his fame, and extolls his virtues.

To my mind, Kit Carson is the premier hero of the western expansion of the U.S. Carter's book is one of the most accurate and well-researched accounts of Carson's remarkable life.

The title story--about a dog nailed to a cross outside a church, presumably to discourage its members--is one of the most haunting and graceful stories I've read in years. But what I like most about this collection is how the author depicts the Southern Pentecostal experience, without irony or prejudice, to produce a deeply engrossing collection of stories in which sum of its parts is somehow more than the individual pieces.

Gwyn is one of the true descendents of Flannery O'Connor, with a little Larry Brown and Eudora Welty thrown into the mix. If you ever read with awe one of Flannery O'Connor's stories--such as "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" or "Good Country People"--you will not be disappointed in the least with Dog on the Cross.

With these stories Aaron Gwyn has tapped into something common in all of us. I read these short stories and was astonished by how original they were, taking the life of the Pentecostal and showing us something completely new, different. Each story takes you somewhere wholly unexpected. Gwyn is the O'Henry for our times. I'd recommend this book to any short story fan and those who really need to feel how strong a short story can hit you.

My three year old loves this book, and it has taught her a lot about why people moved during the Dust Bowl (although she's more distracted by other details of the story and doesn't even know she's learning). I have given several as gifts and the parents always report that it's popular. Great pictures and a swell map of Route 66 at the end.

Anyone who reads Don't Forget Winona, won't.
Follow this family migration from Oklahoma to California on Route 66, in the late 1930's as they escape from dust storms and drought to follow their dream. In a compelling story of hope and determination, Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson's beautiful writing brings this family and their journey to life. Kimberly Bulcken Root's sensitive illustrations enhances this celebration
of family and history!
A reader from Quakertown, Pa.

This is a beautifully written book, and very readable. Having read a lot about the history of the period I already knew how fiercely the widow Custer guarded her husband's reputation and how much she did to enhance it. Unlike many female authors might do, however, Leckie does not judge Libby by modern standards, but puts her in the context of her time. She also touches on the possibility that remaining Autie's widow may have been far more liberating for her, in her times, than it would have been to become Mrs. Someone else. During her husband's lifetime she lived in his shadow, but after his death she was able to use that connection to become an author and lecturer in her own right. She also left an estate valued at over $300,000, after her husband had managed only to put them into debt. Having read her memoirs like Boots and Saddles and Tenting on the Plains, it was clear that Mrs.Custer never gave much insite into her true feelings. Nothing seemed to upset her except a criticism of her husband. Inspite of this, though, Leckie does manage to make her into a real person. I found her epilogue truly moving, and I came away with an understanding of an historical character, whom up to this point, I hadn't much cared for.

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Sometimes, it's not how good you are, but how good your P.R. is that determines your reputation. And in the case of the (in)famous U.S. cavalry commander George Armstrong Custer, the P.R. was definitely good. Immediately after Custer's death (along with 200+ of his troops in what was, and arguably still is, the worst battle loss ever suffered by U.S. forces), his widow, Libbie Bacon Custer, began a propaganda campaign designed to secure her beloved husband's place in history. Unfortunately for history, she succeeded far too well. This book, a biography of Custer's widow, gives real insight into how she manipulated the media available to her in order to glorify her husband--or to be more accurate, to glorify her idealized portrait of her husband. Had Libbie not done her work so well, Custer would have been only a footnote in American History. In addition to providing a valuable supplement to the historical record concerning Custer, Ms. Leckie's book paints a masterly portrait of an exceptional woman, which is well worth the time of readers with little interest in Custer

I live in south dakota and reading this book makes me understand the area more. I have visited the areas he taks about. The co writers husband made the cofin for Siting Bull. and the co writer was the secertary for Siting bull. I have visited a stone church that is only a short distance from where Sitting bull was slain. a good book for anyone who likes history.

For an adventurous man who heard often "the call of the frontier" and responded accordingly, Ben Arnold's life is not that far out of the ordinary, though still remarkable. Apparently as an old man living in Pierre, SD, his daughter became interested in his stories and exploits as he related them to her, and she decided to write them down in notebooks. After his death in 1922, she worked on her notebooks and then took them to Lewis Crawford, head of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. He got them ready for publication. He decided to relate Arnold's story using the first person narrator - a good decision as it makes Arnold's accounts more immediate and personal.

Arnold relates nothing about his childhood, but begins with his soldiering in the Civil War. Three times he enlisted in Ohio regiments, deserting each time, the third time for good after getting into a feud with a fellow soldier near present-day Casper, WY. He headed west to Fort Hall in Idaho, where he operated a ferry (ferryman was a recurring occupation during Arnold's life). It was around this time that he changed his name to Ben Arnold (he was born Benjamin M. Connor).

The wanderlust bug struck and he drifted to Virginia City, where he did some mining, then bull-whacked around Fort Benton before going to Fort Union in North Dakota. Over the course of the next decade he was at Ft. Laramie, all over Nebraska, and was with Crook in his campaign against the Sioux as a dispatch rider, most notably at the Rosebud fight. Later he was a buffalo hunter in South Dakota and also homesteaded there. He died in Pierre in 1922.

The tone of the book is very matter-of-fact and to the point. Arnold was not a reflective man, apparently, for little of that is part of the book. Thus he is able to say, "A railroad was under construction [and] one of the engineers told me of a place where there would be a town; if I desired I could file on land within the proposed townsite. But I did not file. The town is now Douglas, Wyoming." That's that, no sorrow, no regrets.

The narrative stops about 20 years before his death because after that time he says "my experiences have not been unusual and are too common to be interesting." Perhaps. But what he's told us before, though not of the "I-fought-with-Custer" heroics, is definitely of interest. He was an adventurer in a land that was just beginning to be settled, a land that through his own exploits he would help create and define. The only wish I had while reading the book was for a modern editor, one who could annotate and explain further some things that Arnold tells about (Crawford attempts this in places, but not often, and gets some things wrong: Bovine, SD, a town Arnold founded, did not become present-day Capa but Van Metre.) But that's a minor quibble; I really enjoyed the book a lot. Highly recommended.

Whether you live in Oklahoma or plan to visit, Exploring Oklahoma Together is an essential guidebook for getting the most out of this great state. A companion to Exploring Oklahoma With Children, Exploring Oklahoma Together offers adults an easily accessible reference to getaway opportunities in every part of the state. The book is organized by geographical region; within each region cities are listed alphabetically and entries are given for attractions, golf, dining, shopping, accomodations and events. Each entry gives detailed information, including description and historical background, directions, cost, and other tips. In addition, Exploring Oklahoma Together features helpful travel articles, money-saving coupons, attractive black and white photos, and excellent writing. Sarah Taylor, an Oklahoma native, has created a product which is pleasing to the eye and helpful to travelers of all persuasions. I wouldn't plan an Oklahoma excursion without it!

Whether you live in Oklahoma or plan to visit, Exploring Oklahoma Together is an essential guidebook for getting the most out of this great state. A companion to Exploring Oklahoma With Children, Exploring Oklahoma Together offers adults an easily accessible reference to getaway opportunities in every part of the state. The book is organized by geographical region; within each region cities are listed alphabetically and entries are given for attractions, golf, dining, shopping, accomodations and events. Each entry gives detailed information, including description and historical background, directions, cost, and other tips. In addition, Exploring Oklahoma Together features helpful travel articles, money-saving coupons, attractive black and white photos, and excellent writing. Sarah Taylor, an Oklahoma native, has created a product which is pleasing to the eye and helpful to travelers of all persuasions. I wouldn't plan an Oklahoma excursion without it!