{"product_id":"harpsong-volume-1-9780806139289","title":"Harpsong: Volume 1","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA love story about Dust Bowl heroes who didn't leave for California\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHarlan Singer, a harmonica-playing troubadour, shows up in the Thompson family's yard one morning. He steals their hearts with his music, and their daughter with his charm. Soon he and his fourteen-year-old bride, Sharon, are on the road, two more hobos of the Great Depression, hitchhiking and hopping freights across the Great Plains in search of an old man and the settlement of Harlan's long-standing debt.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinding shelter in hobo jungles and Hoovervilles, the newlyweds careen across the 1930s landscape in a giant figure eight with Oklahoma in the middle. Sharon's growing doubts about her husband's quest set in motion events that turn Harlan Singer into a hero while blinding her to the dark secret of his journey. A love story infused with history and folk tradition, \u003cem\u003eHarpsong\u003c\/em\u003e shows what happened to the friends and neighbors Steinbeck's Joads left behind.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this moving, redemptive tale inspired by Oklahoma folk heroes, Rilla Askew continues her exploration of the American story. \u003cem\u003eHarpsong\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel of love and loss, of adventure and renewal, and of a wayfaring orphan's search for home--all set to the sounds of Harlan's harmonica. It shows us the strength and resilience of a people who, in the face of unending despair, maintain their faith in the land.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAskew, Rilla:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eRilla Askew\u003c\/b\u003e, born and raised in eastern Oklahoma, is the award-winning author of four novels, \u003ci\u003eThe Mercy Seat\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFire in Beulah\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarpsong\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eKind of Kin\u003c\/i\u003e, and a collection of linked stories, \u003ci\u003eStrange Business\u003c\/i\u003e. She teaches creative writing at the University of Oklahoma.","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50556485501202,"sku":"9780806139289","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7e0d4832-7cbb-4f9d-ac56-e23ac28f7cc6.jpg?v=1731754857","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/harpsong-volume-1-9780806139289","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}