A Particular Madness
By Sheldon Russell
Growing up in the rural impoverishment of post-Depression Oklahoma, and surrounded by feuding family factions, free-spirited Jacob Roland hungers for knowledge and a world beyond his reach.
But dark forces are growing in Jacob, twisting with the same ruthless, relentless power of a tornado across the Oklahoma prairies. Jacob battles against these aberrant forces, but, trapped by poverty and a growing mental illness, he is thwarted at every turn. For every light - a chance at college, the love of a poised, sophisticated woman - there is a greater darkness within him.
Failed by circumstance, community, and his own mental health, is there an escape for Jacob's bright, wounded spirit, or will he forever be a prisoner of a particular madness?
Additional Information:
Published 2020 (Cynren Press) - 9781947976269 – Hardback - 225 pages Rights: World
Dr. Sheldon Russell is the author of eleven books, including his award-winning historical fiction and his popular Hook Runyon mystery series. His work has garnered two Oklahoma Book Awards for Fiction, a Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction, a Spur Award for Best Western Historical Novel of 2020 from the Western Writers of America, and starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly. Russell is a Professor Emeritus of the Univ. of Central Oklahoma. He and his wife Nancy, a sculptor, currently live on the ranch where he grew up. Russell's upbringing in the Gloss Mountains of Oklahoma has provided him a rich background for understanding the struggles of life in rural America.