Books That Inspire 2007
 
Zeke and Ned
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana


McMurtry and Ossana are unsurpassed at creating a compelling human interest story set in an authentic historical milieu. Ezekiel Proctor and Ned Christie are two Cherokees whose parents arrived in the Oklahoma Territory in the 1830s via the infamous Trail of Tears, which removed the Cherokee Nation from Georgia. Set in the 1890s, Zeke and Ned, two honest men gone afoul of the law, become Oklahoma folk heroes much like Pretty Boy Floyd did some 30 years later. The hyper-authentic quality of this story is tempered by a sense of humor and a feel for the characters that immediately draws you into caring about them-the bad guys as well as the good. By the way, Pretty Boy Floyd, by these same authors, is another wonderfully readable historical novel based on the life of a native Oklahoman.
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Claude Miller
Assistant Professor
Communication