The Late Sooner - A heartwarming read

I recently had the pleasure of reading fellow Overland Park, Kansas author Sally Jadlow's "The Late Sooner". I have rated this book four stars and highly recommend it it to enthusiasts of American pioneer history. I have been inside of sod houses in museums but nothing I saw there seemed as vivid and real as Sally Jadlow's descriptions. Below is my review.


For anyone interested in the westward movement and the settlement of the Great Plains in the decades following the Civil War, Sally Jadlow’s novel, The Late Sooner, is a must read. Based on entries in a ledger kept by the Overland Park, Kansas author’s great-grandfather, this semi-fictional work is suitable for young readers and will appeal to baby boomers and beyond. Its message of the strength that comes from faith, family, community, and perseverance is truly inspirational. Poignant and heartfelt yet, at the same time joyful and uplifting, the work is a true pleasure to read.

Jadlow’s story follows Sanford Deering and his family, Missouri tenant farmers, as they seek to improve their lives by moving into the newly-opened Oklahoma Territory in the period following the great land rush. The hardships facing the family and sacrifices they must make seem unreal as they relate to our modern lives and totally realistic as the reader is pulled back into an unfamiliar time and place. Sadness, elation, courage, fear, hope, and despair - it’s all there in this superbly written journey into the past. In a very real way, the family becomes your own. I have read very few books that literally move me to tears. Parts of this one did. Willa Cather and Laura Ingalls Wilder have nothing on Sally Jadlow.

The Late Sooner is the first in series of Jadlow’s books. I look forward very much to reading the others.