A well written and engrossing story of a society and people depicted through an account of the life and experiences of a notable and idealized prominent tribal character, Okla Hannali. The main character's experiences and views embody and illustrate the ideals and principles of a developed yet, beset people. The character parallels the people's adaptation, acquiescence, manipulation and eventual conquest by accommodation of the factors which beset them.

The Choctaw evaluate and accommodate the pressure of the immigrant American drive to acquire their native lands. The tribal people adapt by shifting their territory and preserving their society in a new area. They master the new lands and restructure their society again in the area newly adopted.

The reader feels empathy with the Choctaw. The book gives new understanding and experience of the people. Their blended culture exists today in the area described in the book. It is real.

As a life time lover of books, I now give book reviews. Years ago, I found "Okla Hannali" in a state lodge book store. I first reviewed it for a group of federated women. Some of them were teachers, and I was invited to give it to two high schools. In all, I probably gave it a dozen times and it was always well received. There was laughter, and at the end when the old chief died, there were tears. Recently, one of my daughters-in-law, who is part Choctaw, discovered it and tells me it is being taught in a class at the University of Oklahoma at Norman.

My old copy of this book is held together with a rubber band because I've read it so often, and haven't been able to find another copy anywhere. Sensitive insight into the Choctaw experience during their removal to Oklahoma. A must read for anyone interested in American Indians or American history: highly recommended for those simply looking for the story of an endearing man.

What? No teepees or war paint? Bravo! Cynthia Leitich Smith's JINGLE DANCER is a refreshing story about a Muscogee-Ojibway girl wanting to participate in a powwow by performing a traditional dance. This contemporary picture book story is free of the stereotypes sometimes associated with Native American tales, and instead shows Jenna watching her grandma dance on a video tape, visiting a friend in a new duplex in the community, and talking with her lawyer aunt. The reader is also introduced to information about a traditional story, game, foods, and dance. Smith's lyrical narrative and captivating story makes this a perfect read-a-loud -- as my five-year-old daughter will attest to. As an Asian-American, I'm always thrilled to see contemporary stories with multicultural characters shown in real and positive ways.

Beautiful illustrations by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu!

Until very recently, there were no large press picture books about contemporary Native children written by Indian authors. For this reason, Jingle Dancer is particularly notable. The story of Jenna, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation living with her family in Oklahoma, is written by a Native author. Rather than focusing exclusively on Jenna's Indian identity, however, the book presents Jenna as an average American kid, living in suburbia, who calls on her Native sensibilities and her broad community of supportive females to overcome a problem as she tries to put together her regalia for the Jingle Dance. Readers who are not familiar with the customs presented here will learn much, but above all, they will learn that Indian children are alive, well, and living rich lives amongst them, a lesson infrequently taught, and rarely so pleasantly. Rich, bright, cheerful watercolor illustrations by husband-and-wife team Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu enhance the presentation and bring Jenna to life. A significantly informative Author's Note and Glossary make the book even more effective.

Cynthia Leitich Smith's, JINGLE DANCER, is a delightful book. Ms. Smith weaves a lovely story of the strong female ties in Native Ameicans matriarchal societies. Smith celebrates the loving, sharing spirit of friends and families. The passages of Jenna dancing through her day from dawn to moonlight are pure poetry. Cornelius Van Wright's and Ying-Hwa Hu's bright lively illustration are a perfect match. Cynthia Leitich Smith's writing is to be applauded as a great addition to the world of children's books.

I just finished the book. Well written and thorough, Michel and Herbeck convinced me that one committed fanatic, and not even an
insane fanatic, Tim McVeigh, is responsible for the Murrah building bombing. He wasn't racist, wasn't a misanthrope, but his extreme hatred of the government (something LOTS of people share) drove him to an act of monstrous evil. As Michel and Herbeck note, this hatred of the government led McVeigh to kill innocents, exactly the kind of evil he laid at the doorstep of the government. Yet McVeigh never seems to have caught on to that.

This book is one of the most compelling and riviting works I have ever read. It is complete, detailed, honest and it does justice to the bombing and to McVeigh. This book will explain to you exactly what happened, and most importantly, WHY it happened. It doesn't bog you down with conspiracy theories and bold statements designed to impress you. It is impressive in and within itself. I casually started reading the beginning of it just a week ago, not intending to dive into it just yet. But I couldn't put it down. The authors are so detailed and complete that it's sometimes difficult to get over all the cold facts and many names they report, but it paints a good picture. I would have preferred that they included even more of McVeigh's own thoughts and opinions in the text. They left out a few minor details that I was interested in like... what ever happened to his older sister? And to his high school girlfriend? They included enough to cause me to feel as if I knew him, however. You'll walk away better informed with a clearer mind and understanding of government, the military, and crime. It is scary, but it is worth it. Everyone ought to read this book.

I read this book, and it is an excellent study of McVeigh. However, let me point out that I read the hardcover version, which was published before Tim's execution. Still, Tim had many ups and downs of his life. I'm sure that many people, myself included, have some sort of disrespect for the government, and the authors present Tim's case remarkably presented. But instead of using letters to congressmen urging them to change the system, McVeigh decided to take human life to make his case. This shows how extreme hatred of the government can become if one's twisted mind believes that killing is the only way to be heard. Second, I kind of sympathize with some periods of McVeigh's life that I've pretty much led myself, such as isolation from the social world (except for, in McVeigh's case, gun enthisiasts). This is a must read and an alert that any crazy American can fight for rights by selfishly ending promising lives.

One of the most impressive things about this book is the period detail; set in the Depression, it convincingly captures a way of life unique to Southwest Oklahoma. There is wisdom, poverty, strength of character, humor, prejudice, and even a nice little mystery story woven in.

The only reason I didn't rate the book 5 stars was because of the mystery itself, which I think suffered because of the book's compact length. With too few red herrings, the short list of suspects made the "whodunit" aspect a little too easy.

Still, a very enjoyable read, and I will be reading the sequel soon.

As an author who loves small towns...I felt right at home with Fred Harris's first Okie Dunn novel, "Coyote Revenge." It was like finding a wildflower pressed in an old Bible, or a photograph in a shoebox at the back of the closet.

"Coyote Revenge" was reviewed in the New York Times under Crime Fiction, but the mystery is pretty thin. Who killed the old sheriff? There aren't many suspects, so take your pick. The protagonist, Okie Dunn, is the new sheriff, but there's so little violence and so much examination of personal relationships that I'm tempted to call it a cozy. Police procedures in that time and place consist of shipping a gun off the State Crime Bureau by Mistletoe Express.

"Coyote Revenge" is a small, scrumptious slice of American life in the 1930s. Harris sets his novel in a fictional version of the little southwestern Oklahoma town of Walters. That's where he grew up, and where I was living at about the same time, so I know the territory well.

The story is simple. Okie Dunn is suspended from law school at the University of Oklahoma for decking a professor. He goes home, where his father is dying of lung cancer, and gets work as a cattle trader. When the sheriff, a boyhood buddy, is murdered, Okie pins on the star and sets out to discover "whodunit."

Harris has perfect pitch when it comes to the way we talked back then and there (and still do sometimes). His dialogue is a flawless rendering of what may seem like a foreign language to some readers. His description of the home cooking of that day will ring bells with anyone who grew up on either side of the Red River in the first half of the 20th century. Example:

"Most of Mama's recipes, if she'd ever written them down, would have probably started out with: 'First, get the grease hot.' All the meat we ate -- home-cured ham and sausage, newly killed chicken, a meat-locker steak -- was salted with a heavy hand and then fried nearly stiff. She salted and fried potatoes and mealed-okra, too, in plenty of lard. And Mama's string beans or a mess of greens always went into the pot with a good dose of bacon drippings that she'd saved in a tin can on top of the stove. Then, salted generously, too, they were boiled to kingdom come."

If you want an honest look at life in rural Oklahoma during the bleak years of the Great Depression, in a story told with humor and affection, this is your book...

As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release within this culture that worships youth, I suppose I should not reveal my age by admitting I actually once wore a presidential campaign button for the author of this mystery. I would've voted for him too, save for the fact that Fred Harris dropped out of the race long before the California primary. He would've gotten my first ever vote (see, I'm not THAT ancient!), but now I get to vote strongly in favor of his first mystery novel. COYOTE REVENGE is set in Oklahoma during the Depression. Times are tough for everyone, especially Hoyt and Inez Ready. Someone shoots them and then burns down their home. Two years later, the mystery is still unsolved when their son, Dub, dies under dubious circumstances. Dub Ready was sheriff, and the sheriff's job then goes to Okie Dunn, a friend of Dub's who recently returned home after dropping out of law school. Okie begins to investigate the deaths, and the investigation produces some interesting answers. Fred Harris has written a terrific historical mystery here, and it captures its time and place perfectly. I would expect nothing less from a man I still think would have made an excellent president.

I was one of the reporters forced to confront Kerry Noble and the heavily armed thugs he commanded at Bull Shoals Lake. It was 1984 and the fascist fringe Noble represented was on the rise: talk radio host Alan Berg had been assassinated in Denver because he was Jewish, an extremist named Gordon Kahl had gunned down two federal marshalls come to arrest him on a minor a tax beef. State troopers in Missouri and Arkansas were about to be slaughtered by Noble's friends. I can tell you when I stood before him, I saw no glint of insight, compassion or self-doubt in his eyes. He liked carrying guns, playing camouflage-clad warrior, and kowtowing to the petty and perverse Hitler who commanded CSA. I find it ironic that after all the horror Noble and his spiritual disciples, including Timothy McVeigh visited upon our country, he writes a tell-all book about his supposed "conversion" from the dark side. Another ignoble scam: this one about money rather than sex and power. Perhaps we'll give Osama bin Ladn a book contract too.

Kerry Noble brings a new and fascinating look into the workings of the extremist right in America. His experiences, his insights and his confusion as a member of CSA creates a sensitive account of a devout man struggling with both himself and the toxic dogma of an insular and isolated society. As a writer who has researched the racial right for over five years, I find that Noble does an excellent job of articulating the conversion experiences of the radicalized religious right. It is indeed a short step sometimes from moral dissension to dangerous alienation, from a spiritual retreat to an armed camp.

Tabernacle of Hate again illustrates the dangers of blind faith in any leader, the twilight zone reality of isolated individuals whose only truth is the truth from within the movements, the odd "Catch-22's" of revelation and prophecy as practiced by the Identists, and the uncompromising racial and political positions that faith demands.

But perhaps more than the examination of the radical movements, Noble's ruthless examination of himself and his beliefs add a dimension to his work that is missing from other works of this nature. Noble provides a clear understanding of how a good-hearted and well-intentioned man can lose himself in a world of fear, hatred and dark religious zeal.

Howard L. Bushart Co-author, "Soldiers of God: White Supremacists and Their Holy War for America"

Tabernacle of Hate is a fascinating account of the rise and fall of the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), a now-defunct right wing militant extremist group. Noble, formerly second in command of CSA, carefully explains how he and others became caught up in the rhetoric of the group's charismatic leader, Jim Ellison, and how this almost lead to a bloody encounter with the FBI, ATF, and others.

Tabernacle of Hate is an invaluable resource for those interested in understanding the origin and inner workings of a domestic right wing extremist group. His meticulously detailed account of the mind set, weapons, and tactics favored by these groups makes this book a "must read" for law enforcement agencies who may encounter this type of militant extremism in their jurisdiction.

Although most of the book (and the reviews) focus on the marvelous youthful adventures of Brett Leveridge's lovely mother, my favorite part of the book were Brett's personal essays. His observational stories add warmth to a genre that is very often overly sarcastic and bitter.

Brett Leveridge offers a generous portrait of the delights and dangers of dating, as seen through the wise (but not hard-bitten) eyes of a young woman in the 50's. The fact that this woman is his mother does not distract from his candid appraisals of the motives of men and women during their movie-going, dance-attending searches for companionship.

He creates a remarkable movie in one's head, full of Beat poets, seducing at dawn; confident sons of preachers (whose version of 'going fast' involves way more than the moves of 'third base'); rough men, humbled by her beauty; shy men, sometimes encouraged too far.

All these experiences tie in to Karen's ('Mother's') subtle construction of her dream man; the fidelity and kindness she shows to others during her dates become building blocks for the long-lasting fidelity of her only marriage.

Leveridge's view of human nature in his Mother stories (and in his short essays) is tasteful and respectful, but not conservatively retrograde. Men who might have kept a stash of physique magazines and women who might have had their secret love in the WACS also have their role (an appropriate one, neither cruel nor cold) in this girl's journey to womanhood and marriage.

This is the rare post-modern book that one could safely give to Mom or Dad, while feeling guilty about wanting to keep it for oneself. Play it safe -- buy two.

Okay, I have to admit that the only reason I picked up this book in the first place is because of all the handsome men on the cover. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down!

It's a very amusing, quick read. All I can say is that I wish my social life was half as active and entertaining as Mrs. Leveridge's!

Wow, did she really share a sunrise with Jack Kerouac?

As a rabid Nebraska football fan, I was given this book as a gag gift. It sat, unread, for months until I opened it up this Summer. In the course of reading the book, I have gone from loathing Barry Switzer, to respecting and even liking him.

Most important is the way he describes the crazy recruiting regulations of the NCAA. What college alum wouldn't give a kid a ride home in the pouring rain, or tell a kid that his alma mater is a great school and that he, too, should go there? Yet these seemingly innocent actions could become a recruiting violation for the school. Every college football fan should read this book, if only for that reason...so they avoid accidentally hurting their favorite team. Do what you can to get a hold of a copy, even though it is out-of-print.

This book is something to be revered by Sooner fans. Barry's recounts of the great games and great people around OU's glorious runs in the 70s and 80s bears reading. I just re-read the book after keeping it down for a few years, and it just gets better with time. If any of you out there need ammo for those Barry bashers, you need this book. Barry Switzer is a great man, and every Sooner fan should remember that.

Barry covers his childhood, personal struggles, and his years at Arkansas. He then talks about those great 70s teams that we know get to see on ESPN Classic.

Probably the most interesting part is his line item by line item response to every NCAA violation that OU was found guilty of. Barry pulls no punches and is not afraid to admit guilt where he saw it. His candidness is something special.

You might find this book hard to find, but try your hardest and hit the auction sites, etc, you should be able to turn it up, and you won't be sorry.

As a Sooner alumnus and rabidly devoted Dallas Cowboys fan, I have seen many good and bad sides of "Uncle Barry" (as he is known affectionately in these parts) for a couple of decades. Granted, it was written before he coached in Dallas. But it is because I had already read this book -- and as a result, felt a strong understanding of him -- that I was able to hold Switzer largely blameless for many of the problems which befell the Cowboys during their late-90s fade. [Perhaps most other Cowboys fans should read this before they mindlessly ridicule him, too. It is enlightening!] Switzer is funny, smart and refreshingly devoted to his kids, as he shows here; but as an animated and sometimes overbearingly profane public person, he makes a much easier target for media ridicule than he deserves. Read this book and understand why he astutely asserts that the NCAA is an archaic clique of aging Great White Fathers (my term, hot his) who are clueless about the realities of today's athletes' lives. Read and understand why Switzer can make some of the dumb mistakes he has, but nonetheless possesses a keen intellect and sense of fairness. And finally, read it for its shocking tales of the wild life of this surprisingly complex man.

This lovely small book was a delight to read. The author made a considered and deliberate decision, at a very young age (while still in college) to lead a simpler life, close to the earth. I really admire his adherence to his principles and his problem -solving skills in a time when we all just call someone else to do things.

I loved reading about the methods he used for farming, building, and general survival with none of what we consider the amenities of life. I found myself feeling very calm as I read this book....a sure sign that the conveniences of modern life bring stress with them!

While a bit on the fringes of what is possible for most folks this little book does provide some very good glimpses of the virtues and rewards of simplicity as a life-style. I plan on returning to it again someday and would recommend it.

I enjoyed every page and how beauty is found in the small every day life that transpires on the farm. The animal companionship, the rewards of sowing and reaping, the well thought out strategies for self sufficiency. If you're looking to get off the corporate treadmill or break from the collective madness of modern society, here's a book to get you started on your way. The fact that the farm is on 20 acres brings this lifestyle into home range for others aspiring to slow down to nature's pace and experience nature's glory on a daily basis. Two thumbs up for this book - it has even inspired me to plant my first vegetable garden!

Baxter Black is best known for his cowboy poetry, but in an unique twist of events, Baxter wrote a book on rodeo cowboys. Having "gone down the road" myself, this book brought back memories of some pretty crazy times in my life. A must-read for any rodeo fan.

Those who read this first attempt at fiction by Baxter Black purely for the pleasure of it will come away with both an increased appreciation for Mr. Black's razor sharp wit and a newfound respect for rodeo cowboys. Those who read it (Seabeck, WA) while attempting to force it into some category will simply miss the point. This story does not pretend to be anything but pure entertainment, and the word "tedium" simply cannot be applied to a book that the average reader will finish in one or two readings. Trim it down to novella length? It's only 210 pages long! Simply sit back and enjoy yourself without constantly thinking about how you would have written it differently, and your jaw muscles will soon be aching! And when was the last time you laughed out loud while reading?

Most reviewers talk about this book as bust-a-gut hilarious, which it certainly is at points, but it's also a whole lot more than that. If you have an interest in rodeo cowboys and their life on the road between those hoped-for 8 seconds of adrenalin in the arena, this book is primarily about that. Exaggerated, you bet, but compared to the yarns told in Bill St. John's book of real rodeo cowboys, "On Down the Road," not all that much.

Baxter Black captures and celebrates the comical that exists in the self-deprecating and unpretentious manner of cowboys. The story of his two cowboy pals doing the summer rodeo circuit all over the western states, with hopes of winning enough money to make it to the national finals, explores that rich vein of American humor between guts and glory and human comedy. There is a fine line between fearlessness and foolishness, and few sports make failure not only ignominious but dangerous (being thrown and getting not only a faceful of dirt but broken bones to boot). It's no accident that in the rodeo arena the hardest working cowboys are surely the clowns.

Black's book achieves one other enjoyable objective; it represents the friendship between two men, a subject that has found its way into the buddy movie, but is seldom treated in literature of any kind. These two guys are different enough to play off each other's strengths and weaknesses, but they're no odd couple. Their devotion to each other, their companionship on the road, their late night talks attempting to make sense of the world they inhabit -- not to mention their adventures with porcupines and "wild women" -- all of it is an entertaining celebration of being best pals.

St. John's book about rodeo cowboys is out of print, but if you can find a copy, I heartily recommend it as a companion to this wonderfully entertaining novel by Baxter Black.