Voices From the Heartland

Book excerpt: A thought-provoking collection of essays on life and living Voices from the Heartland is a celebration of women’s contributions to Oklahoma’s recent past. It records defining moments in women’s lives—whether surviving the Oklahoma City bombing or surviving abuse—and represents a wide range of professions, lifestyles, and backgrounds to show how extraordinary lives have grown from the seeds of ordinary girlhoods. From former Cherokee principal chief Wilma Mankiller, First Lady Kim Henry, novelist Billie Letts, and prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, to OU basketball coach Sherri Coale, the authors share their personal reflections on finding balance as they look back on defining moments in their lives, mull over what they wish they had learned sooner, and convey the wisdom they’ve unearthed on their journeys thus far. Touching on topics from adultery to left-handedness, from losing children to losing perspective, these essays speak from the heart to reveal what it means to be an American woman today. Readers will meet activists and writers, advocates and artists—some of whom are household names, while others work outside the public eye. Voices from the Heartland speaks to readers all across America and demonstrates that women in Oklahoma represent the heart of us all.