Written and illustrated by Henryettans Kathryn Shurden and Mandy Brumley, the graphic history style will capture the imagination of readers and open doors to a greater understanding of critical turning points in the Oklahoma story. The authors use historic places and historic stories from local guides to reveal the meaning behind the book’s title: The many Indian nations that had established governments here before statehood, the three constitutions that led up to formation of the state of Oklahoma, and the two territories that merged to form into one state of Oklahoma.
By zipping through hyperlink portals, the characters travel from Okmulgee to McAlester and Krebs, to Guthrie and Langston, to Muskogee and Sallisaw, and on to Shawnee and Oklahoma City. Through the use of historic places and the extraordinary resources of the Oklahoma Historical Society, readers are encouraged to continue their education outside the classroom by visiting sites and buildings where history comes alive.
Shurden explained why they published Oklahoma’s first graphic history book. “Books with pictures, and certainly comic books, were once regarded as frivolous and beneath the academic dignity of serious teachers and students. That began to change in about 1978 when comic artists were determined to prove that image literacies could appeal to a much larger audience and operate on a serious, literary level worthy of esteemed attention.”
“By 1978,” she noted, “writers had set out to prove that the texts called the ‘graphic novel’ format have great value to the curriculum. “As I wrote and produced materials for teaching Local History, a friend introduced me to these graphic novels a few years ago and implored me to write graphic history for Oklahoma,” Shurden explained. “I soon found that graphic novels, and graphic history, have been popular outside of the U.S. since the mid-1980s and they have really taken off here in the last few years. Graphic history is a Thing. It is time that we use it to engage learners in Oklahoma History education,” she said.
“This graphic novel, hopefully to be followed by others, can nurture curiosity, illustrate the path to seeking answers, and enrich the lives of young people as they develop into adults. I want to thank Kathryn Shurden and Mandy Brumley for taking the time and resources to create this innovative tool for teaching,” Blackburn concluded.
“Although From Many Nations to Oklahoma Statehood in Three, Two, One was written and produced as a supplemental textbook for Oklahoma History,” Shurden noted, “many adults are buying and enjoying this book, too, as they learn more about Oklahoma’s unique story.”
Kathryn Shurden and Mandy Brumley are a mother-daughter team who live in Henryetta. They consider themselves perpetual students of history. From Many Nations to Oklahoma Statehood in Three, Two, One is now available at the Henryetta Public Library.
