Main Street Oklahoma: Stories of Twentieth-Century America

While they provide useful background, especially for readers who may not be familiar with the Oklahoma story, these pieces seem better suited for a solid, general Oklahoma history textbook. [...]Bradley R. Clampitt's essay on Native Americans and the Civil War is an excellent synopsis of a very complicated topic but seems out of place in a book that is otherwise focused on the twentieth century. Picking up a book called Main Street Oklahoma: Stories of Twentieth-Century America, a reader might expect a discussion of Route 66, which is barely mentioned in passing; historic preservation of significant buildings; the humor of Will Rogers; or perhaps extensive recollections of ordinary people in small towns across the state.