Introducing Our Oklahoma Summer Reading Series
This summer, we are taking a swim in Oklahoma literature, reading books from 1930 to the present and across genres ranging from sci-fi to westerns. Join us as we make our way through Oklahoma’s history and present.
1. Cimarron by Edna Ferber
Published: 1930
Genre: Fiction/Historical Epic
Summary: Twice adapted for the big screen, Edna Ferber’s novel traces Oklahoma history from the Land Rush to the oil boom. This book provides interesting insight into how Oklahoma history was represented as it unfolded. The novel was a best seller in 1930, and it remains a worthwhile read today.
2. Sundown by John Joseph Mathews
Published: 1934
Genre: Literary Fiction
Summary: Penned by Osage writer John Joseph Mathews, Sundown follows a “mixed-blood” protagonist as he navigates the pressures of assimilation in a coming-of-age story that should be required reading for Oklahomans. This novel takes us on an emotional ride through the Oklahoma of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is known as one of the earliest works to discuss the Osage Indian murders of the 1910-30s.
3. True Grit by Charles Portis
Published: 1968
Genre: Western
Summary: Who could forget Jeff Bridges with his eyepatch and wide-brimmed hat in the 2010 Coen brother’s adaptation? This book is on our list for obvious reasons.
4. Funny Money: A True Chronicle of Penn Square Bank’s Spectacular Failure in the 1980s by Mark Singer
Published: 1985
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary: A humorous, true story of a fascinating financial collapse.
5. Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana
Published: 2002
Genre: Western
Summary: Larry McMurtry is perhaps best known for his epic Western Lonesome Dove. Here, McMurtry joins with Diana Ossana to tell the tale of two Cherokee protagonists on a quest through Indian Territory.
6. Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
Published: 2023
Genre: Literary fiction/Magical Realism
Summary: Emily Habeck’s debut novel takes on themes of marriage and motherhood and features, among other things, a man transforming into a great white shark.
7. In the Morning, the City is the Prairie by Rob Roensch
Published: 2023
Genre: Literary fiction/coming-of-age
Summary: Oklahoma-city bildungsroman. We dig it.
8. By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle
Published: 2024
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary: You may know Rebecca Nagle from her Peabody-nominated podcast “This Land,” which covered the Carpenter V. Murphy Supreme Court Case. If you haven’t listened yet, check it out wherever you get your podcasts! By the Fire We Carry builds on that research, weaving history and journalism to tell the story of the fight for tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma.
9. Hole in the Sky: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson
Published: 2025
Genre: Sci-Fi
Summary: From the author of Robopocalypse comes a tale of aliens and the Great Plains.
10. Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders by Danny Boy O’Connor and Jimmie Tramel
Published: 2025
Genre: Nonfiction
Summary: An oral history of S.E. Hinton’s famous novel The Outsiders. Of course we’re reading it!
