Look Unto the Land
A Historical Novel of Family, Race, and Revenge in the 1920s Southern Oil Patch (Small Town Race Relations Book 3)
by George Rollie Adams
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Pub Date Aug 18 2023 | Archive Date Feb 01 2024
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Description
A Riveting, Multi-Award Winning Story of Love, Hate, Greed, and Thirst for Revenge in an Oil-Drenched 1920s Southern Boom Town
When Henry Grant returns home from WWI, he finds his family decimated by violence, death, and debt. He blames it all on one man and aims to make him pay.
In 1922, Henry follows the fellow from Indiana to Berrytown in southern Arkansas, site of the nation’s latest oil boom, a good place to hide and a hard place to search. It’s overflowing with lease hounds, roughnecks, drillers, bootleggers, and gamblers. Crime is rampant, and the Ku Klux Klan is gearing up against booze, prostitution, and Black people.
Meanwhile, Mary Dutton, a near-destitute Berrytown widow with a twelve-year-old son, is struggling to survive. She works in a pharmacy where the owners—Mary’s cousin Eunice and her husband—are forcing her to sell marijuana, cocaine, and heroin under the nose of federal agents.
Otis Leatherwood, a farmer who is Mary’s uncle and Eunice’s estranged father, likes moonshine and is unaware of the drug traffic. His problem is with the oil. He believes drilling is ruining the environment, and he’s willing to risk everything to stop it. Even though his best friend and Black neighbor Isaiah Watson sees it as a means of escaping bigotry in the South.
As Berrytown grows apace and oil blackens the land, each of them faces life-changing decisions. Read now and follow them as they encounter one surprising turn of events after another.
Winner, Independent Press Award for Race Relations Fiction
Winner, National Indie Excellence Award for Regional Fiction
Runner-Up, Eric Hoffer Award for General Fiction
Silver Medal, CIPA EVVY Award for Historical Fiction
Bronze Medal, Readers Favorite Award for Social Issues Fiction
Finalist, International Book Award for Cross-Genre Fiction
Finalist, Global Book Award for Historical Fiction
Finalist, National Indie Excellence Award for Historical Fiction
Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Award for African American Fiction
Advance Praise
“Look Unto the Land is a compelling story that comes to life thanks to the impeccable research, complex yet realistic characters, and engaging descriptions that also made Adams’ first two novels such enjoyable experiences! Adams examines greed, hate, and loss, all while somehow enchanting the reader with key characters’ selfless acts of goodness and kindness that leave room for hope. Throw in some mystery and some surprise endings and twists that leave you thinking “how did he make that happen”—and you have a first-class page turner!! Highly recommended!” – Amazon reviewer
“With fascinating characters and multiple connected storylines, Look Unto the Land is an almost cinematic depiction of the Arkansas oil boom of the 1920s. George Rollie Adams combines his amazing gift for language with a deep understanding of the history, place, and people of the time to create a story that is as entertaining as it is historically important. This book is truly stunning.” – Amazon reviewer
"Adams knows how to tell a good story with memorable characters and evocative locales. Look Unto the Land serves up a meaningful tale of loss and love in turbulent times with page-turning style." - Celeste Schantz, Editor, Mason Street Review
"The author's characters move in a world as dark as the oil field setting, which he has researched with astonishing fidelity. He so effectively recreates his scenes that reading them leaves you feeling almost drenched in oil. In this book, a little-known period of history comes alive." - Gerald George, past director, American Association for State and Local History, author of Figments and A Penitential Prayer: Poems of the Holocaust
"I loved this book. Look Unto the Land is a compelling mix of history, suspense, small town life, family dynamics, greed, hate, love, and hope. Woven throughout are a quest for justice and a moving love story. Adams’ characters make you want to cheer or jeer—they are complicated and unforgettable." – Amazon reviewer
"A riveting story that combines elements of mystery and romance while weaving industrial expansion, environmental degradation, race relations, and associated themes into a masterful tapestry of daily life in the rural South." - Susan Asbury, Assistant Professor of Public History, Middle Georgia State University, contributor to Midwestern Folklore and Folklore and Museums
"Look Unto the Land is a captivating tale of love and hate during the raucous and tumultuous 1920s oil boom in South Arkansas. Adams captures the essence of the time with skill and authenticity." - David F. Rankin, President Emeritus, Southern Arkansas University, author of What Every American Needs to Know about Economics
"Look Upon the Land pulls from the epic history of one of the largest oil booms in the United States to create a sweeping story of romance and revenge." - Samantha Bynum, past curator, Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources
"Drawing on deep historical research and keen knowledge of everyday life in the 1920s, Adams blends a well-paced, entertaining story with issues of deep relevance today, including environmental justice, racism, and the negative impact of unregulated capitalism." - Timothy W. Kneeland, Chair of History, Politics, and Law, Nazareth College, author of Declaring Disaster: Buffalo's Blizzard of '77 and the Creation of FEMA
Available Editions
ISBN | 9781733366984 |
PRICE | $1.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 368 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
The 1920s Arkansas oil boom was a focal point for a variety of different business enterprises: both legal and otherwise: prostitution, gambling, drugs, bootlegging, and the Ku Klux Klan were all running rampant. Mary Dutton was trapped in a drug dealing scheme against her will. Henry Grant wanted revenge against the man who ruined his family. Otis Leatherwood was concerned about the environment, and Isaiah Watson wanted to escape the bigotry of the South. They all were part of a panorama of humanity in an exciting place and time.
This book is a great read with fascinating characters, and interesting plotlines.