What’s the true price of “progress?”

STOLEN HORSES
Dan O’Brien
a bison original

University of Nebraska Press
$19.95 paperback
978-0-8032-3108-5
Fiction set in a small town in Nebraska

New and old interests collide in a small western plains town confronting the forces of “progress.”

“Interconnected lives in the small western Nebraska town of McDermot navigate the rocky transition from rustic old ways to new money opportunities and opportunists in the slow-burning latest from O’Brien.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Dan O'Brien] gives a fairly large number of characters individual attention, making them, with their good traits and bad, all quite memorable.”—NPR’s All Things Considered

Some books take you beyond reading. They take you inside, into your feelings and emotions.  I “felt” this book.  I believe that anyone with any land ownership in their lineage will also feel Stolen Horses.  Dan O’Brien has done a remarkable job of illustrating the shift taking place in rural America.  On the surface it appears that the “big guys” are simply buying up the “little guys.”  But it’s so much more than that…..it involves real people losing the origins of their roots.  What becomes of those who are caught in the middle, people who may not be ready to relinquish this land possession, those who are left without place?   O’Brien must be from the land. The depth of emotion and understanding of land stewardship with which he writes indicate this.  His writing is both sparse and lyrical, and his command of the conversational style of rural people is right on the mark. I highly recommend this Midwest Connections book. 
– Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA

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 MBA BOOKSELLER INFORMATION

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STOLEN HORSES is available from the University of Nebraska Press, Trim Associates, or from your preferred wholesaler.  Be sure to contact the publisher for more information about this title. 

If you are interested in inquiring about an event, interview, or book club event or phoner with author Dan O’Brien, please contact Cara Pesek—Publicity Manager, cpesek2@unl.edu , 402-472-7710, or Acacia Gentrup—Publicist, agentrup2@unl.edu , 402-472-5938.

For more information about this book, go to http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Stolen-Horses,674634.aspx

MBA and the University of Nebraska Press would love to have your comments and reviews for this Midwest Connections Pick. Please send them to us so we can share your endorsements with your fellow MBA booksellers and with your customers!

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ABOUT THE BOOK

McDermot, Nebraska, is a pleasant, scenic western cattle town situated in the Pawnee River valley—just the place for people seeking refuge from their hectic city lives. It is also just the place for those who have made their homes on this haunting prairie since the late nineteenth century. Ideal for both, McDermot means everything to those native inhabitants and something very different to those who are looking for a new life.

As the native residents wrestle with the arrival of outsiders, a local journalist uncovers a medical scandal epitomizing the problems facing the divided community. After the death of two men, it falls to the ancient but powerful district attorney to mediate a resolution between the clashing interests of the new and the old West. And the Thurston family, descended from the town’s first citizen, sets out in its own way to fight the forces threatening to destroy it. This is the story of new and old interests colliding, of small western plains towns confronting the forces of “progress.”

Praise for Dan O’Brien’s previous work:

“[O’Brien’s] prose is as strong and true as the frontier it evokes, and his presentation of mood and place is acute and gripping.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The metaphors that resonate below the surfaces of [O’Brien’s] tales render them enjoyable, satisfying, and thought-provoking.”—Publishers Weekly

“The characters and circumstances O’Brien conjures up are rich and complete. We are drawn into their lives, memories, and longings by a voice that is gentle and compelling . . . perceptive and compassionate.”—Southwest Book Review

“Dan O’Brien is a beautiful and sensitive writer.”—John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan O’Brien is the author of numerous novels and memoirs, including Buffalo for the Broken Heart and The Contract Surgeon, winners of the Western Heritage Award for best nonfiction in 2001 and for best fiction in 1999, respectively. Buffalo for the Broken Heart was the One Book South Dakota selection for 2009. Equinox: Life, Love, and Birds of Prey is available in a Bison Books edition.