Crown Oklahoma

I read this book because I loved The One Eyed Mack in "Kick the Can". I did enjoy "Crown Oklahoma" very much, but I must say that it is no "Kick the Can". I was particularly intrigued by the story line, and how timely it is today in light of the Jayson Blair and Dan Rather scandals. It is almost as if Mr. Lehrer predicted such events. It was great to be reunited with Mack, Jackie, and "Leutenant Dad", and it was a very enjoyable book. I highly recommend that you do not read this until you have read "Kick the Can" first.

Crown Oklahoma is shorthand for putting a dome on the capitol. The narrator is the one-eyed lieutenant governor of the Sooner State. The lieutenant governor is also referred to a the second man. His son Tommy Walt plays semi-professional baseball. He is a pitcher. His wife is the founder and the owner of a chain of drive-through markets. Tommy Walt seems to collapse at his job handling baggage for the bus company. He does a riff on lost and mislaid luggage when his father locates him. There is a concern, raised by a national television news story, that a Mafia-type organization exists in Oklahoma. The narrator runs down one suspect, Boomer Sooner, who is in the transportation business as the driver and owner of a single bus. This is not a good prospect for the role of master criminal. Then a bomb blows the guy to bits. Investigators surmise that since the news reports indicated Boomer was part of a new group impinging on mob activity, the mob had him killed. The fallout from climbing the golden ladder to anchordom is described and elaborated in the book. The tales get taller as things proceed. Son Tommy Walt continues to experience difficulty and the excuse given is that he is a pitcher. The crown Oklahoma project is laughable, particularly when planners wonder if it could be made to pay for itself. Oklahoma Indian Territoy was opened up on first-come basis for land claims. Sooners were cheaters, they snuck in ahead of time.

Wonderful expression of the Oklahoma spirit, mindset and humor! A terrific place and a delightful book.