On every book's spine is the name of its author. Although their work rests in the hands of those around the world, some may live literally around the corner. Here are six recent releases " some big, some small " from Oklahoma authors.
Jack Willis, former adviser to the University of Oklahoma's student-run newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, recounts his struggle with breast cancer in "Saving Jack: A Man's Struggle with Breast Cancer" (University of Oklahoma Press). Although breast cancer is considered a women's disease, an estimated one in 1,000 men contracts it. His bio takes the reader on his nearly yearlong journey through a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
TheOgrePoet " aka Midwest City resident G.L. Immel " collects nearly 300 pages' worth of his poetry in "Fugitive Heart" (PublishAmerica). Despite the ugly-sounding moniker, love, lust and the lull of Mother Nature inform these pretty pieces, a few of which read like prose rather than verse.
Oklahoma City's Justice Jones turns her battles with manic depression and bipolar disorder into "The Breadth of Love" (Infinity Publishing). This collection of 68 poems finds her fighting her struggles with spirituality and "using creative means of expressing her dreams and desires," she writes.
FORMER SENATOR
Now a professor in New Mexico, Fred Harris is one of Oklahoma's more famous politicians, having been elected to the U.S. Senate twice. In his memoir, "Does People Do It?" (University of Oklahoma Press), the former Democratic Party chair recalls his Beltway career in the Sixties and Seventies, rubbing elbows and clashing egos with the likes of Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Edmond resident Jackson Compton crafts a saga of horror, revenge, loyalty and love in the science-fiction fantasy "Night's End" (Vantage Press). This debut novel centers around two sworn enemies, the battle between them and a village of the undead.
And Oklahoma Gazette contributor Charles Martin has released his first novel, "The Dominant Hand: The Unauthorized Story of Jim Jacobs and the Cult That Saved the World" (Shadow Conspiracy Publications). Set in Norman, it's an experimental work of fiction about a rock star who gathers quite the fervent following, resulting in the deaths of 250 people and the disappearance of 4,238 more. Eyewitness accounts from the various characters comprise the framework for the apocalyptic story. "Rod Lott
