What a hoot. I just finished reading all six of your Prairie Madness series (obviously I liked them).

Thank you for the kind words. But Bakersfield is just the tip of the iceberg. I wrote another piece titled California’s Plantation Culture that offers more insight into the region (known as the Great Central Valley). Inasmuch as some of the most powerful Republicans in the country come from that valley, the idea that California is a liberal state is a joke. I live in Kentucky now, and believe it or not, Kentucky is far more progressive and sophisticated than anywhere in rural California.

Back to Prairie Madness. If you haven’t seen the movie The Homesman with Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank, I recommend it.

Every couple of years or so, I pick a word out of thin air and that becomes my guide to choosing books to read. When I was young, I picked academic subjects. In time, I found that odd words were much more instructive. Bugs, for example, took me on the most fascinating reading journey imaginable.

On my reading journey into Native American life, one of the things that stuck with me was how frightened they were of insanity among white people. To protect themselves, they left signs for others to stay away and wove it into their storytelling (aka history lessons).

PS. I really enjoy your writing style.