I grew up on the Great Plains, and I’ve long wanted to read more fiction set on the Plains. I don’t intend to read all the books on these lists, but they’ll be a reference/starting point.
Flyover Fiction from The University of Nebraska Press/Bison Books
- Skin by Kellie Wells
- The Usual Mistakes by Erin Flanagan
- Tin God by Terese Svoboda
- Because a Fire Was in My Head by Lynn Stegner
- The Mover of Bones by Robert Vivian
- Lamb Bright Saviors by Robert Vivian
- Ordinary Genius by Thomas Fox Averill
- Jackalope Dreams by Mary Clearman Blew
- The Plain Sense of Things by Pamela Carter Joern
- The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern
- Reconsidering Happiness by Sherrie Flick
Book Awards from the Mountain and Plains Independent Booksellers Association
- 1990: The Testimony of Mr. Bones by Olive Ghiselin
- 1991: Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan
- 1992: none
- 1993: Cowboys Are My Weakness by Pam Houston; The Meadow by James Galvin; and All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
- 1994: Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver; The Death of Bernadette Lefthand by Ron Querry; and Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
- 1995: Stygo by Laura Hendrie
- 1996: Stone Song by Win Blevins
- 1997: Sun Dancer by David London
- 1998: The Sky, The Stars, The Wilderness by Rick Bass
- 1999: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
- 2000: Plainsong by Kent Haruf
- 2001: Winter Range by Claire Davis
- 2002: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
- 2003: Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling
- 2004: Land That Moves, Land That Stands Still by Kent Nelson
- 2005: The Work of Wolves by Kent Meyers
- 2006: A Sudden Country: A Novel by Karen Fisher
- 2007: Cottonwood Saints by Gene Guerin
- 2008: The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
- 2009: Another Man’s Mocassins by Craig Johnson
Great Plains Fiction from the Plains Humanities Alliance
Kansas
- Ascher, Carol. The Flood.
- Averill, Thomas Fox. Secrets of the Tsil Cafe.
- Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
- Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood.
- Clair, Maxine. Rattlebone.
- Coldsmith, Don. Tallgrass.
- Connell, Evan S. Jr. Mrs. Bridge.
- Connell, Evan S. Mr. Bridge.
- Dallas, Sandra. The Persian Pickle Club.
- Day, Robert. The Last Cattle Drive.
- Draper, Edythe Squier. As Grass.
- Haldeman-Julius, Marcet and Emanuel. Dust & Short Works.
- Heitz, Lisa Hefner. Haunted Kansas.
- Hughes, Langston. Not Without Laughter.
- Inge, William. Four Plays.
- Lehrer, Jim. Kick the Can.
- Moriarty, Laura. The Center of Everything.
- Nelson, Antonya. Living to Tell.
- Parks, Gordon. The Learning Tree.
- Pickard, Nancy. Bum Steer.
- Ruby, Lois. Steal Away Home.
- Smiley, Jane. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton.
- Wolfe, Edgar. Widow Man.
Nebraska
- Aldrich, Bess Streeter. A Lantern in Her Hand.
- Aldrich, Bess Streeter. A White Bird Flying.
- Cather, Willa. My Antonia.
- Kees, Weldon. Selected Short Stories of Weldon Kees.
- Morris, Wright. Ceremony in Lone Tree.
- Morris, Wright.Plains Song for Female Voices.
North Dakota
- Bojer, Johan. The Emigrants.
- Borden, William. Superstoe.
- Dahl, Borghild. Karen.
- Enger, Leif. Peace Like a River.
- Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine.
- Hudson, Lois. The Bones of Plenty.
- Power, Susan. The Grass Dancer.
- Sypher, Lucy Johnson. The Spell of Northern Lights.
- Vossler, Ron. Horse, I Am Your Mother.
- Watson, Larry. Montana 1948.
- Woiwode, Larry. What I’m Going to Do, I Think.
Oklahoma
- Askew, Rilla. Fire in Beulah.
- Beard, Darleen Bailey. The Flim-Flam Man.
- Carter, Forrest . The Education of Little Tree.
- Conley, Robert J. Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears.
- Cunningham, William. The Green Corn Rebellion: A Novel.
- Debo, Angie. Prairie City: The Story of an American Community.
- Fall, Thomas. The Ordeal of Running Standing.
- Glancy, Diane. The Mask Maker.
- Griffis, Molly Levite. The Rachel Resistance.
- Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders.
- Keith, Harold. Rifles for Watie.
- Lanham, Edwin. The Stricklands.
- Lafferty, R. A. Okla Hannali.
- Letts, Billie. Where the Heart Is.
- Milburn, George. Catalogue.
- Momaday, N. Scott. The Way to Rainy Mountain.
- Portis, Charles. True Grit.
- Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows.
- Red Corn, Charles H. A Pipe for February.
- Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath.
- Thomas, Joyce Carol. Marked by Fire.
South Dakota
- Amerson, Robert. From the Hidewood
- Breneman, Mary Worthy. The Land They Possessed.
- Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy.
- Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. The Power of Horses and Other Stories.
- Deloria, Ella Cara. Waterlily.
- Driving Hawk Sneve, Virginia. The Trickster and the Troll.
- Manfred, Frederick. Lord Grizzly.
- Manfred, Frederick. The Golden Bowl.
- Meyers, Kent. Light in the Crossing.
- Micheaux, Oscar. The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer.
- Rolvaag, O.E. Giants in the Earth.
- Taylor, Kathleen. Funeral Food.
- Woodard, Charles L., Ed. As Far As I Can See.
- Zitkala-Sa. Old Indian Legends
