Novel set in 1880s offers relevance today

Historical fiction is not the traditional fare I gravitate toward. But when I had an opportunity to review “Prairie Truth” by Marilyn Bay, I decided to read it because of my own fascination with Colorado, a state my family always gravitated toward when it came to summer vacations.

I prefer to read and write reviews that involve historical accounts or about innovation in agriculture. This book did provide me with food for thought, and perhaps others will find that too. After all, agriculture, from a historical perspective, was as complex then as it is today.

Readers should be able to connect each thread in the story through the 51 chapters and find it whets their desire to keep going to the next chapter.

“Prairie Truth” is set in the San Luis Valley in 1886 and provides a look at the clash of cultures between descendants of Mexican immigrants who moved north to claim land under the Mexican Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and the influx of Anglo immigrants a generation later, according to a release from the publisher. The book discusses a half-white, half-Cheyenne woman’s flight to the valley to find acceptance.

Bay shows her creativity and understanding of how Colorado history intertwines culture. Early on in the book, I found myself thinking, I can envision this happening. It leads to the natural question—could this have really happened?

Caroline, the heroine of the book, found herself needing to make her own way while trying to avoid prejudicial thinking and dodge the stereotypes she perceived and encountered. Bay was able to create a character who understood the limitations of her day. Like many of us today she tried to simplify her life in a not so simple world.

Much has been written about race relations in urban cultures but much less is written about rural cultures. Perhaps it is not as appealing or the sparseness in the population means fewer examples are available.

Bay, through “Prairie Truth,” does make me think about those matters.

There are parallels to today. Race relations, while much improved, have a ways to go. “Prairie Truth” while a reminder of a different period, does help spell out stereotypes and biases and how they can interplay with land rights and public right-of-way (often termed as common space in the 1880s) that continue to find their way back in the news today.

Bay has her own tie to agriculture. She operates Prairie Natural Lamb, raising lambs and marketing them directly to customers, and she is executive director of the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “Prairie Truth” may not be for all readers but Bay’s work is thought provoking and that is a gift to readers.

Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].