A Particular Madness

Front Cover
Cennan Books of Cynren Press, 2021 - Fiction - 312 pages

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?

Other editions - View all

About the author (2021)

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 University 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.

Bibliographic information