Skip to main content

NO BONES ABOUT IT - A GOOD READ

Acrocanthosaurus The Bones of Contention by Russell Ferrell.  Subtitled  The True Story of Cephis Hall and Sid Love The Arkansas Hillbilly and the Choctaw Indian Who Outsmarted the Corporation and Saved the Dinosaur (Paperback)

After finishing the Russell Ferrell work Acrocanthosaurus: The Bones of Contention (Historical Dimensions, 2011) there is an instinctive desire to mutter a loud, "wow!" 

In 448 pages the author has packed a story whose complexity, importance, and historical value can only be described as 'epic.' In the story of how two intelligent and capable amateurs were finally able to prevail against corporate greed,intimidation, academic short-shortsightedness, research rivalries, and worse is an important lesson for everyone. The author so completely explains the history, processes, and meaning of events that, even a reader without any knowledge of southeast Oklahoma, dinosaurs, fossil hunting, or confusions of legal and political activity- can clearly understand the struggles chronicled. 

Cephis Hall and Sid Love - co-discoverers of the rare find - have to join the ranks of 20th century folk heroes. They battled the Weyerhaeuser Corporation of McCurtain County (OK), elitist academics and false accusations and raids by armed police. It was not an easy battle and it consumed the lives and best years of the main players. It ended finally, after many years, on a positive note but also one with a strong sense of what might have been.

This is a "must have" for anyone who has a scientific bent, anyone who enjoys an exploration of the depths of human stupidity,loves a controversial topic, corporate greed, political and legal shell games, and the hint of academic snobbery. It is a well written and produced softbound work and any library will be enriched by adding this title for its paleontology, Oklahoma history, twentieth century biography, and general 'good reads' collections.


Publisher: Historical Dimensions/Malloy Incorporated, 2011.
ISBN: 978-0-615-43814-6
Cost: $ 15.00 (approx.)
Description:  Softbound, illus., 448 p. 
Available from: Amazon.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Interview with Author Christy Elkins

As part of an ongoing series highlighting new writing talent, here is the latest " Interv iew of the Imagination" with author Christy Elkins.     The author of children's books such as Noah's Mark, The Seedling Heart and adult novels such as Parallel, Lilac Hill , and The Dusty Road . As always, the interviews start in a place of special meaning or significance to the author or their work.  So, on that ship of the mind let us set sail... I caught up with author Christy Elkins in 1982, on the airy verandah at the back of her grandmother’s farm house, in Durant, Oklahoma.  As  we sip our glasses of iced tea there is the soft sound of her grandmother's voice crooning old hymns in a sweet voice accompanied by the grease crackling as she fries chicken for us.  ###   Tell me Christy, when you are not writing or being you, what is your work or activity? I’ve been many things; a photographer, insurance agent, accountant, among others, but my latest

A Small Book and Child Author Make Big Waves

List includes 100 individuals from across 10 professional fields that are making a difference in their communities and across the country! (New York, NY) January 31, 2012 - In honor of Black History Month, seven year old, youth author/anti-bullying advocate LaNiyah Bailey has been recognized, as one of "TheGrio's 100: History Makers In The Making." Released by theGrio.com , a division of NBC News, the list includes 100 African-American men and women who are writing the next chapter of American history. Nominated by a team of experts, affiliates, and contributors from across the country, and members of TheGrio.com and NBC News editorial teams, "TheGrio's 100" shines a spotlight on the next generation of African-American history makers and industry leaders from 10 fields, including business, education, sports, science and the environment, media, service and activism, politics, health, pop culture and the arts. "TheGrio's 100" was officially unv

Steve Burt - Award Winning Author

Steve Burt, whose works have won three Ray Bradbury Awards and was a 2005 Bram Stoker Award winner, offers a feast of mayhem and mystery to cool down the summer. His works of the macabre include a striking short story collection: Odd Lot, Even Odder, Oddest Yet, and Wicked Odd. Not bad for a minister turned storyteller turned award winning author. Most recently this multi-faceted man has added two novels to his credits. The exciting FreeK Camp and its followup FreeK Show. Soon, FreeK Accident will also make its appearance. Additionally, he has written popular inspirational collections, A Christmas Dozen and Unk's Fiddle with tales to warm the heart. The stories FreeK Camp and FreeK Show are well written, swiftly pulling the reader deep into situations filled with tension, drama, and lives tossed into a maelstrom of the bizarre. They contain characters who could be people who are living just down the street or sitting beside you as you read this. The novels (FreeK Camp, Fre