A Particular Madness
By Sheldon Russell
Dr. Sheldon Russell is the author of eleven books, including his award-winning historical ction 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.
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?
'Sheldon Russell's latest book, A Particular Madness, is a must-read. The story is so unique and well written that one simply cannot stop turning the pages. Dr. Russell's fund of knowledge, along with his description and language of a day gone by, for most, builds as each page is turned. Although this is a work of fiction, there is a reality that gives the reader pause to consider "what if?" The reader cannot help but wonder as a new chapter is turned what will happen next. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to compare this book to others with similar themes, as it is that unique.' - Richard Moore, PhD, former Fort Supply Asylum counselor
Additional Information:
Published 2021 (Cynren Press)
ISBN: 9781947976269 – Hardback - 312 pages
Rights: World