Pearlie

Book excerpt: Many might wonder what an Oklahoma farm girl born in Indian Territory in 1906 has to offer in a life story. Pearlie: A Relatively True Story will prove that it's a lot. R.F. Jones pieces together the highlights of Pearlie's life into a historically rich, fictionalized biography that will enthrall and delight readers who love God, romance, history, or all three. Pearlie is about the title character's love affair with her childhood mate and their fifty-four-year marriage; her love affair with nature and the 'old home place' from which she was torn when she got married; her love affair with her Lord and his church; and her love affair with poetry, which she constantly uses to think through her most intimate thoughts and express her relationships on both a physical and spiritual level. With the help of R.F. Jones, Pearlie tells her story tenderly and humorously, with more smiles and laughter than tears, with escalating levels of happiness, and with a realistic but happy ending. It's a story about eternal life lived in the here and now. 'This Christian biography of an Oklahoma poetess combines the poignancy of the classic 'I Remember Mama, ' the humor of 'Life with Father, ' and poems which are reminiscent of Helen Rice Steiner's finest works. To read Pearlie is to experience a rich and inspiring ride back into Oklahoma history and encounter a Christian wife, mother, and writer who saw beauty everywhere and transformed her everyday world into a place of inspiration.' -Hope Harder, PhD in English literature, author of a series of books including 'Silent Voices'