The Great Oklahoma Swindle
- Author Russell Cobb
- Narrator Lloyd James
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Run Time 9 hours and 40 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Cultural studies: customs and traditions, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Ethnic studies, History of the Americas, Local history, Social classes, Sociology.
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What to expect
Look down as you buzz across America, and Oklahoma looks like another “flyover state.” A closer inspection, however, reveals one of the most tragic, fascinating, and unpredictable places in the United States.
Over the span of a century, Oklahoma gave birth to movements for an African American homeland, a vibrant Socialist Party, armed rebellions of radical farmers, and an insurrection by a man called Crazy Snake. In the same era, the state saw numerous oil booms, one of which transformed the small town of Tulsa into the “oil capital of the world.”
Add to the chaos one of the nation’s worst episodes of racial violence, a statewide takeover by the Ku Klux Klan, and the rise of a paranoid far-right agenda by a fundamentalist preacher named Billy James Hargis and you have the recipe for America’s most paradoxical state.
Far from being a placid place in the heart of “flyover country,” Oklahoma has been a laboratory for all kinds of social, political, and artistic movements, producing a singular list of weirdos, geniuses, and villains.
In this book, Russell Cobb tells the story of a state rich in natural resources and artistic talent, yet near the bottom in education and social welfare. Raised in Tulsa, Cobb engages Oklahomans across the boundaries of race and class to hear their troubles, anxieties, and aspirations and delves deep to understand their contradictory and often stridently independent attitudes.
Interweaving memoir, social commentary, and sometimes surprising research around the themes of race, religion, and politics, Cobb presents an insightful portrait that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the American Heartland.
Critics Review
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“Unwraps the state’s racism, stereotypes, and fraud to add to the moderate amount of Oklahoma historical literature.”
Chronicles of Oklahoma -
“Reveals his love of the state with a critical analysis.”
Roundup Magazine -
“Shows that Oklahoma’s story is all-American in a compressed time line. That Cobb stands toe to toe with his state and never blinks makes this project a compelling read.”
Foreword Reviews -
“An outstanding, timely, and accessible primer for better understanding how much the US is shaped by the converging legacies of neoliberal governance, settler colonialism, and systemic racism.”
Journal of Geography -
“Journalist Cobb offers an unflattering and eye-opening history of his home state of Oklahoma…Cobb argues that honesty in reckoning with Oklahoma’s past and increased work for social justice remains the only solution.”
Publishers Weekly -
“Lloyd James brings energy and enthusiasm to Cobb’s biting homage to the state where he was raised…Narrating with a softly accented voice and a lively cadence, James recounts the many vicissitudes of Native Americans, Black people, and poor, white Oklahomans.”
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