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Oklahoma Books: Books Set in the Sooner State
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Whether you’re participating in our Read Around the USA Challenge or simply found your way to our website researching books set in Oklahoma, we’ve curated a diverse list of highly-rated titles about the Sooner State! If you’re looking for another state, check our comprehensive list of books set in every state.
A Few Things Oklahoma is Known For…
In 1889, the first “Oklahoma Land Run,” in which the U.S. government opened up lands in the Indian Territory for settlement, led to an influx of non-native people into the region. In 1907, Oklahoma became the 47th state.
Fueled by oil discoveries, the new state boomed in wealth and population in the 1910s & 1920s. Both newcomers and Indian tribal members in northeastern Oklahoma became extremely wealthy, almost overnight. The new wealth led to crime and corruption, with rich Osage Indians targeted. Additionally, in 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre resulted in the death of hundreds of Black residents and the burning of over 1200 homes and businesses in the wealthy Black Wall Street neighborhood.
Shortly after, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s hit western Oklahoma particularly hard, leading to mass unemployment and poverty when fertile plains became barren wastelands. It is estimated that approximately 440,000 residents, dubbed “Okies,” were forced to abandon their farms and migrate west in search of work.
Today, Oklahoma is home to 39 tribal nations, including those forcibly relocated from the eastern US on the Trail of Tears. One of those tribes, the Cherokee Nation, now contributes $3.04 billion to the Oklahoma economy each year, while also providing important services like healthcare.
Oklahoma is a leading agricultural and energy producer, including oil, natural gas, and wind power. The state has also produced many famed musicians, including Woody Guthrie, Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, and more. Tulsa philanthropist George Kaiser imagined and created the $465 million, 100-acre Gathering Place park, the most significant private gift to a community park in U.S. history. It has been voted USA Today’s Best City Park and is enjoyed by all ages.
Novels Set in Oklahoma
The Ladies’ Room
Book Summary
Secrets told in the church ladies’ room are supposed to stay in the ladies’ room (like Vegas… but in Oklahoma). But what Trudy overhears there during her great-aunt’s funeral will change the rest of her life.
Trudy’s life is already complicated enough, between her cheating husband, her rebellious daughter, and caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s. The last thing she needs is a crumbling old house. But that’s exactly what her Aunt Gertrude leaves her – that, and a man to help. It turns out that she left the house to Trudy, but she left the funds to fix it up to her next-door neighbor, Billy Lee Tucker.
Billy has been in love with Trudy since they were young kids, but he never dreamed he’d actually get to spend time with her. As they work together to rebuild Gertrude’s old house, they might just be building a relationship as well. But is Trudy too scarred from what she heard in the ladies’ room to see a future with Billy Lee?
The Book Girls Say…
Readers describe this as a quick and easy read with lots of laugh-out-loud antics. It’s a sweet and clean story with Lifetime movie vibes.
Fun fact, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani own a ranch in Tishomingo, and Shelton also has a restaurant, bar, and music venue in town called Ole Red.
Dead Woman Crossing
Book Summary
Detective Kimberley King has relocated from New York City to the sleepy town of Dead Woman Crossing, Oklahoma. She hopes raising her daughter in a smaller town will be more peaceful and help her forget bad memories from her past. However, within days of arriving, she’s already been called to assist on a terrible case. Her friend Hannah has been murdered, and Hannah’s one-year-old child is the only witness.
Hannah’s death is also strikingly similar to that of Katie James, a young woman who was murdered in 1905 on the banks of the same twisting creek. Do they have a copycat killer in town?
The Book Girls Say…
If you enjoy Kimberly as a character and this Oklahoma town as a setting, there is a second novel in this series titled Last Day Alive.
Dreamland Burning
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This YA dual timeline read is a fictionalized account of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Rowan is a present-day 17-year-old about to start her important summer internship when workers discover a skeleton on her property during the renovation of a building.
Her story alternates with William Tillman, a 17-year-old in 1921, whose misguided attempt to “protect” a girl he had a crush on triggers more death, destruction, and division than he could have predicted.
The Book Girls Say…
For decades, the story of what happened in Tulsa in 1921 was buried. Despite living 20 minutes from the site, Melissa was never taught about it in school. So she was horrified 10 years ago when she learned about what was then referred to by a less accurate name, the Tulsa Race Riot. She asked around at that time (~2010), and few locals knew about it. So Melissa turned to books to learn more and highly recommends Hannibal B. Johnson’s Black Wall Street if you’d like a well-researched non-fiction read, and we also suggest Black Birds in the Sky for a YA non-fiction option.
Johnson’s follow-up, Black Wall Street 100, covers what has happened since 1921.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
The Secret Keeper of Main Street
Book Summary
Bailey is a Black dressmaker for the wives and daughters of local oil barons in Mendol, Oklahoma. She also has a hidden talent inherited from her mother. With just a brief touch of someone else’s skin, she has flashes of intuition. Sometimes, it’s seeing their sweet hopes and dreams, but other times, it’s glimpses into their past or future. She prefers to wear gloves at all times when working with her clients because her aunt Charlene has always warned her, “It’s safer to stay out of White folks’ business.”
Elsa is Bailey’s newest client. Her father is one of the wealthiest oilmen in Oklahoma, but Elsa does not seem happy about her upcoming wedding. When Bailey touches Elsa’s hand, she’s horrified by what her intuition reveals. She’s determined to help Elsa escape her fate.
Shelterwood
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Although she’s only 11, Olive(Ollie) Augusta Radley knows that her step-father does not have good intentions with the two Choctaw girls boarded in their home as wards. When the older girl disappears, Ollie bravely chooses to flee into the woods with the younger girl, 6-year-old Nessie. As they journey through the rugged Winding Stair Mountains, they risk encountering outlaws, treasure hunters, and other desperate men.
Along their travels, Ollie and Nessie bond with each other and other children on the run from terrible situations.
In 1990, in Oklahoma, Ranger Valerie Boren O’Dell arrived at Horsethief Trail National Park seeking a quiet place to balance a career and single parenthood. Instead, she quickly has to investigate a teenage hiker gone missing from one of the trails and the long-hidden burial site of three children deep in a cave. As she digs into the area’s dark past, she finds an ally in the Choctaw Tribal Police.
The Book Girls Say…
This novel is told in alternating timelines, but both are well-developed. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end of the book, as it covers which parts of the story are based on the real history of the region.
The Long and Faraway Gone
Book Summary
This crime thriller is based loosely on two real and unsolved tragedies that rocked Oklahoma City during the 1980s. In the fictionalized version of the crimes, six movie theater employees were killed in an armed robbery, while a seventh inexplicably survived. Then, a teenage girl vanished from the State Fair.
In the novel, 25 years have passed since those tragic events, but the ripple effects still impact the lives of the survivors. The boy who survived the movie theater massacre changed his name and became a private investigator. He takes a case that brings him back to OKC for the first time in two decades, and he finds himself also drawn to seek answers from his own past.
The Book Girls Say…
While this book didn’t make our primary book list because we had numerous other great options for Oklahoma, we love that author Lou Berney is an OKC native and that, according to an interview, he chose to set a novel in his hometown to introduce readers to the “complex, surprising, gritty, quirky, and beautiful” city.
Calling for a Blanket Dance
Book Summary
This book is a cross between a novel and intertwined short stories, with 11 family members narrating one chapter each to tell the story of a man named Ever. The stories cover around 35 years of Ever’s life, starting at birth. They seek to determine if a tragic event in his past left him cursed. In the final chapter, you’ll hear from Ever himself.
Ever is of Cherokee, Kiowa, and Mexican descent, mirroring the author’s heritage. As you read, you’ll learn about Cherokee and Kiowa traditions, such as stomp dances, the blanket dance, and powwows.
The Book Girls Say…
The beginning of this book includes a family tree that may help you understand the relationships between the characters.
The 2023 PEN/Hemingway Prize-winning book is filled with difficult topics, including generational trauma, sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, and poverty. Readers say you’ll also be rewarded with joy, love, hope, and even laughter.
The Outsiders
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This novel follows two weeks in the life of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis as he struggles with right and wrong. His world is made up of just two groups – the “socs, ” a violent gang of rich kids who have money and can get away with anything, and the greasers, like Ponyboy, who live on the outside and need to watch their backs. Ponyboy is a proud greaser until the night that his friend makes a terrible decision, and he begins to question everything.
The Book Girls Say…
This coming-of-age novel is one of the most popular teenage books from the 60’s and was written when the author was a teenager in Tulsa herself. It’s now regarded as one of the novels that laid the groundwork for the YA genre.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Fields of Gold
Book Summary
In the 1920s, Evangeline lived on her family farm in rural Oklahoma with her Irish Papa and Mama, who is generous & practical. Everything changed for her when a young aviator named Charles Lindberg, aka Slim, landed in Papa’s wheat field.
After riding in his plane, Eva has a new perspective on life. Their relationship leaves Eva with an even more precious gift as well. The world, especially Oklahoma, is changing as fast as Eva’s perspective, and only the strongest will survive.
The Book Girls Say…
One reviewer said this book reminded her of an after-school special because she learned some new things while wanting to root for the strong characters. However, that is paired with some believing Eva’s consistent strength became a bit unbelievable as it wasn’t tempered with other emotions that would have been expected in some circumstances she finds herself in.
One reviewer also noted that she was surprised by the prevalence of religion throughout the novel.
The Dust Bowl Orphans
Book Summary
Faith Wilson and her family were fleeing Oklahoma in hopes of a better life in California. But, a massive dust storm causes 15-year-old Faith and her little sister, Hope, to be separated from their parents. In addition to the terrible Dust Bowl conditions, the sisters are also faced with racial prejudice and segregation as they search for a safe place to stay and a way to survive.
In present-day California, Zoe is recovering from a difficult divorce and still mourning the loss of a child. Trying to distract herself, she throws herself into work cataloging photos for an exhibition. She’s shocked to come across an old photo of a teenage girl who looks remarkably like her. Zoe’s knowledge of her family history is filled with many holes, and she wonders if this photograph might hold the key to unraveling some of those secrets.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Shark Heart
Book Summary
Thirty-five-year-olds Lewis and Wren are newlyweds with their whole lives ahead of them. But just weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He is slowly turning into a great white shark, but he will continue to retain the qualities that make him most human – his consciousness, memories, and intellect.
This fate, of course, complicates his relationships. His wife struggles with how they can continue to be together, and she begins to recall long-repressed memories from her younger years. The story of Wren’s mother, Angela, is also woven through this story.
The Book Girls Say…
When it was released in August, Angela’s first reaction to this book was, “Not for me!” But after seeing so many outstanding reviews, her interest was piqued enough to pick it up reluctantly. It’s every bit as odd as the synopsis suggests, and yet it’s also captivating, emotional, and profound. When it came time to rate the book, Angela wavered between 5 stars and 3 stars because it’s a story that will stick with her for a long time, but also not one that she could recommend to everyone without hesitation. However, in the end, it made her list of best books of the year because it’s so unique and so deeply thought-provoking.
If you choose to pick it up, do so with an open mind. Push past the initial reaction that the story is simply absurd, and you might just be surprised. And if, in the end, it’s still not for you, it will make for an interesting conversation nonetheless.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
The Truth According to Ember
Book Summary
After her resume is rejected for the 37th time, Ember becomes more “creative” in listing her qualifications. When she lists herself as White instead of Native American, she suddenly lands her dream accounting job in Oklahoma City.
She thrives in her new job, and her love life is looking up when she learns that Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native, may also be into her. The no-dating policy at work means they’ll need to see each other secretly. But then, they’re overseen together on a work trip. A scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. Her lies are now snowballing. But would telling the truth threaten everything?
The Book Girls Say…
While readers enjoy this romantic comedy overall, some report becoming anxious or angry about Ember’s lying throughout the story.
Chili to Die For
Book Summary
When Willow inherits her grandfather’s ice cream shop in Oklahoma, she heads south for the first time. From the slower pace of speech to the crazy drivers, she doesn’t exactly fit in. But she wants to win when she learns about all the chili cook-offs and bake-offs around town.
After Willow provokes one of the chili cook-off judges to a fit of road rage, she becomes the chief suspect when the judge ends up dead in a bowl of chili. Now, it’s up to her to figure out the real culprit before she’s run out of town.
The Book Girls Say…
If you enjoy cozy mysteries and are looking for a quick read, this 154-page novella would be a great choice! There are currently 5 books in the series.
Book Summary
Syd is an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island. She left her Oklahoma hometown 15 years ago and vowed never to return. However, she has been summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister.
When Native women go missing, the cases are often ignored. She refuses to let the same thing happen to her sister. As Syd, who is Cherokee, investigates, she uncovers details about a string of missing Indigenous women cases going back decades. How will the small town react to her presence back in town?
The Book Girls Say…
Author Vanesse Lillie is originally from Miami, Oklahoma. She is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
The Best Summer of Our Lives
Book Summary
In 1977, Summer Wilde was supposed to have the best summer ever with her friends Spring, Autumn, and Snow. Instead, a prank went wrong, and they were shipped off to work as camp counselors in Tumbleweed, “Nowhere,” Oklahoma, for eight weeks. The four girls each had hidden secrets and fears that were revealed over the summer, changing their relationships and lives forever.
Now in her 30s, Summer finds herself in Oklahoma again. This time, her latest girl band has ditched her at a Tulsa motel. She’s finally ready to face the past and finds that Tumbleweed can also be a place for reconciliation and healing.
The Book Girls Say…
This is a coming-of-age Christian contemporary friendship story with a strong faith element. Some readers find it difficult to keep track of the four different narrators in two eras.
Where the Heart Is
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Seventeen-year-old Novalee Nation is seven months pregnant and bound for California when her boyfriend leaves her stranded at a Walmart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. With only $7.77 to her name and nowhere to go, Novalee begins secretly living in the Walmart.
But she soon discovers that this small town is filled with deeply caring people. An eclectic group of townsfolk adopts Novalee and her newborn as their own, which may make you both laugh and cry.
The Book Girls Say…
Author Billie Letts was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and worked as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Where the Heart Is was her debut novel, which also saw great success as a film in 2000, starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. But, as is often the case, many reviewers agree that the book is better than the movie. So even if you vaguely recall the movie from a couple of decades back, we recommend you pick up this book for a quick read that is heart-rending and heartwarming.
Heads Up: This book deals with some heavy and challenging topics, including sexual abuse of a minor and substance abuse.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
The Grapes of Wrath
Book Summary
With the Great Depression gripping the nation, this epic novel from the 1930s chronicles the Dust Bowl migration that transformed the country.
The story follows a farm family, the Joads, who are driven from their homestead in Oklahoma and forced to travel west for the promise of a better life in California. But when they finally arrive at their destination, the worst rumors prove true.
Despite facing constant setbacks and hardships, the Joads and their fellow travelers refuse to give up, relying on their own resourcefulness and mutual support to survive. This message of hope in the face of overwhelming adversity is a fitting theme for readers looking to find inspiration and strength in difficult times.
The Book Girls Say…
Steinbeck vividly describes the harsh conditions and struggles of the migrant workers, making this book a powerful indictment of the social and economic injustices of the time. The Grapes of Wrath is also notable for its portrayal of the resilience and determination of the human spirit.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Time for Me to Come Home
Book Summary
Thirty-five-year-old Heath is a big-time country music star, including headlining a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on December 23rd.
As soon as the show is over, he realizes that the place he really wants to spend the holiday is home in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. But flight delays and inclement weather are making that challenging. Heath will have to team up with an unexpected travel companion if he wants to be home in time to open presents.
Blake Shelton and his mom first recorded a song based on their holiday memories, which she then turned into a novel. Blake later co-produced the Hallmark movie adaptation, which has numerous sequels.
Non-Fiction Set in Oklahoma
Killers of the Flower Moon
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Killers of the Flower Moon is a nonfiction tale with a plot that seems like it should be fiction.
Finding oil within their land, the Osage Indian Nation became the richest people per capita in the world. The wealth attracted a whole host of bad characters, leading to murders and other vicious crimes.
This tale also marks the first time we see J. Edgar Hoover in the history books as a young FBI director leading the first major homicide investigation in the organization’s history.
The Book Girls Say…
This book is a great companion to the 2023 Martin Scorsese film by the same name, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino, and Lily Gladstone. Scorcese worked closely with the Osage Tribe and filmed in Oklahoma to authentically share this tragic piece of history.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Dust Bowl Girls
Book Summary
This non-fiction tells the true story of a women’s basketball team that overcame all odds and brought something positive to a struggling community.
In the early 1930s, Sam Babb traveled from farm to farm near the tiny Oklahoma college where he coached. The growing Dust Bowl conditions were devastating farming families, but Coach Babb offered hope.
At a time when women’s sports were largely considered unhealthy and unladylike, Coach Babb recruited young women and offered them a chance at a better life. He promised them a free college education in exchange for joining his basketball team.
As the women discovered a passion for the game, the team began to win. And they just kept winning. Their improbable journey took them all the way to the national championship game.
The Book Girls Say…
Described as The Boys in the Boat meets A League of Their Own, this sports story paints a vivid picture of life during this time period.
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A Love Story
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Food Network star and food blogger Ree Drummond lives and works on an enormous cattle ranch in northeastern Oklahoma. In this memoir, she tells the story of meeting her husband, Ladd, aka the Marlboro Man. She had a privileged upbringing and a country club lifestyle while he was a cowboy on his remote ranch.
Could she really handle moving to the middle of nowhere to start a life with him? While this book does contain some food talk, it’s more of a love and life story, filled with self-deprecating humor. Reviews say that you should expect a casual and entertaining feel to the book, like a chat with a friend vs a literary masterpiece.
The Book Girls Say…
Unlike shows filmed on a soundstage, The Pioneer Woman cooking show really is filmed on her Pawhuska ranch. If you’re ever in the region, plan a meal at her restaurant and check to see if a Lodge tour is available. Melissa visited, and it was fun to see where they film her cooking show and to get a sense of their vast property. Ree and Ladd Drummond own 433,000 acres (nearly 700 square miles) in Osage County.
If you’ve already enjoyed this memoir, there is a follow-up titled Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere.
Boom Town
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
92% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In 1889, Americans were invited to line up at the border of the Oklahoma Territory and literally raced to stake claims to 160 acres per family in the first Land Run. This crazy race birthed Oklahoma City in the center of the state. The city grew exponentially on the back of the oil industry.
The author of this book went to OKC in 2012 to cover the Thunder NBA team and their superstars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. However, he was intrigued enough to stay in the city and begin researching the good and bad of how it transformed from a cattle town to the 20th-largest city in the US. From Thunder basketball to destructive tornadoes and the tragic bombing of the Murray Federal Building, this book is a great primer on the region’s history.
The Book Girls Say…
Since Melissa and her husband live in Oklahoma and he is also a big reader, we asked his opinion on our Oklahoma books. He highly recommended Boomtown, which was also a 2018 Goodreads Nominee for Best History & Biography. While focusing on Oklahoma City, Corey reports that the book does a great job of telling much of the state’s history.
Read Around the USA – Books Set in Other States
We hope you enjoyed this book list of books about Oklahoma and found some great titles to add to your TBR. If you’re participating in our Read Around the USA Challenge, be sure to check out our alphabetical index of books set in each state.
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