Early in the twentieth century, the political humorist Will Rogers was arguably the most famous cowboy in America. And though most in his vast audience didn't know it, he was also the most famous Indian of his time. Those who know of Rogers's Cherokee heritage and upbringing tend to minimize its importance, or to imagine that Rogers himself did so—notwithstanding his avowal in interviews: "I'm a Cherokee and they're the finest Indians in the World." The truth is, throughout his adult life and his work the Oklahoma cowboy made much of his American Indian background. And in doing so, as Amy Ware suggests in this book, he made Cherokee artistry a fundamental part of American popular culture. Rogers, whose father was a prominent and wealthy Cherokee politician and former Confederate slaveholder, was born into the Paint Clan in the town of Oolagah in 1879 and raised in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation. Ware maps out this milieu, illuminating the familial and social networks, as well as the Cherokee ranching practices, educational institutions, popular publications and heated political debates that so firmly grounded Rogers in the culture of the Cherokee. Through his early career, from Wild West and vaudeville performer to Ziegfeld Follies headliner in the late 1910s, she reveals how Rogers embodied the seemingly conflicting roles of cowboy and Indian, in effect enacting the blending of these identities in his art. Rogers's work in the film industry also reflected complex notions of American Indian identity and history, as Ware demonstrates in her reading of the clearest examples, including Laughing Billy Hyde, in which Rogers, an Indian, portrayed a white prospector married to an Indian woman—who was played by a white actress. In his work as a columnist for the New York Times, and in his radio performances, Ware continues to trace the Cherokee influence on Rogers's material—and in turn its impact on his audiences. It is in these largely uncensored performances that we see another side of Rogers's Cherokee persona—a tribal elitism that elevated the Cherokee above other Indian nations. Ware's exploration of this distinction exposes still-common assumptions regarding Native authenticity in the history of American culture, even as her in-depth look at Will Rogers's heritage and legacy reshapes our perspective on the Native presence in that history, and in the life and work of a true American icon.

The years between Oklahoma statehood in 1907 and the 1971 reemergence of the Cherokee Nation are often seen as an intellectual, political, and literary “dark age” in Cherokee history. In Stoking the Fire, Kirby Brown brings to light a rich array of writing that counters this view. A critical reading of the work of several twentieth-century Cherokee writers, this book reveals the complicated ways their writings reimagined, enacted, and bore witness to Cherokee nationhood in the absence of a functioning Cherokee state. Historian Rachel Caroline Eaton (1869–1938), novelist John Milton Oskison (1874–1947), educator Ruth Muskrat Bronson (1897–1982), and playwright Rollie Lynn Riggs (1899–1954) are among the writers Brown considers within the Cherokee national and transnational contexts that informed their lives and work. Facing the devastating effects on Cherokee communities of allotment and assimilation policies that ultimately dissolved the Cherokee government, these writers turned to tribal histories and biographies, novels and plays, and editorials and public addresses as alternative sites for resistance, critique, and the ongoing cultivation of Cherokee nationhood. Stoking the Fire shows how these writers—through fiction, drama, historiography, or Cherokee diplomacy—inscribed a Cherokee national presence in the twentieth century within popular and academic discourses that have often understood the “Indian nation” as a contradiction in terms. Avoiding the pitfalls of both assimilationist resignation and accommodationist ambivalence, Stoking the Fire recovers this period as a rich archive of Cherokee national memory. More broadly, the book expands how we think today about Indigenous nationhood and identity, our relationships with writers and texts from previous eras, and the paradigms that shape the fields of American Indian and Indigenous studies.

Three western romance titles by Nan Ryan about an outlaw, a cowgirl, and a determined European princess finding their fortunes in the American West In Outlaw’s Kiss, a young woman joins a gang of rough-riding outlaws. As she begins her career as a renegade, the son of a soldier killed in a long-ago raid searches Mexico for justice. His fevered quest could destroy Cordell’s band of outlaws, but only if he can resist the charms of the sultry young woman who rides like a man. In Written in the Stars, the beautiful star of a Wild West show sets off with the traveling spectacle’s most recent addition: a captured man, raised by the Shoshoni. Together, they embark on a passionate adventure that will change both of their lives forever. And in The Princess Goes West, the heiress of a bankrupt kingdom travels to the New World in search of a fortune. The princess decides to find investors among the gold-rush millionaires of the American West. Instead she finds misery, danger, and a handsome stranger with a temper rough enough to match her own. To make it home, Europe’s toughest princess will have to find her inner cowgirl.

DIVThe star of a Wild West show falls for its savage new attraction/divDIV Though one of the most experienced political operatives in Washington, senator’s aide Diane Buchanan is a cowgirl at heart. Raised by a showman to rope, ride, and shoot, she returns home when she learns her family’s western show is in danger of folding. With her skills as a trick rider, Colonel Buck Buchanan’s Wild West Show finds new life. But it isn’t until the “Redman of the Rockies” arrives that the profits begin to roll in./divDIV /divDIVThe captured man was raised by the Shoshoni, doesn’t understand English, and refuses the trappings of western civilization. But Diane sees past his rough edges, recognizing the so-called “Redman” as a sensitive soul who has been unfairly imprisoned. Hoping to learn the captive’s secrets, she sets him free—embarking a passionate adventure that will change both of their lives forever./div

While watching a movie, how many viewers notice some of the finer details of the film, such as the time of day during a scene—or even the date itself? For instance, does anyone remember what day detention is served by the high schoolers in The Breakfast Club or can guess when aliens first make their presence known in Independence Day? And perhaps only history buffs or fanatics of Leonardo DiCaprio can cite the exact date the Titanic sunk. In A Year of Movies: 365 Films to Watch on the Date They Happened Ivan Walters provides a selection for every day on the calendar in which at least some of the events in the film take place. For some films, the entire drama occurs on a very specific day. For other films, such as The Right Stuff, the date in question is represented in a key scene or two or even for just a few pivotal seconds. Certain films, to be sure, are obvious candidates for inclusion in this book. What other movie would make sense to watch on February 2nd than Groundhog Day? Is there a more appropriate film to consider for June 6th than The Longest Day? Representing a variety of genres—from comedies and dramas to westerns and film noir—these films offer fans a unique viewing opportunity. While helping viewers decide what to watch on a given day, this book will also introduce readers to films they may not have otherwise considered. Aimed at film buffs and casuals viewers alike, A Year of Movies is also an ideal resource for librarians who want to offer creative programming for their patrons.