Greetings, dear readers:
There is a quiet reverence that emanates from our new Meadowlark release, Papa’s Pills.
Cheryl Unruh here. I’m part of the Meadowlark team, and I’d like to share a few thoughts with you about Papa’s Pills by Rosemary McCombs Maxey.
The book is set in 1996 on the Creek Reservation near Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
I felt a strong pull, a deep connection to the book because of the main characters—an elderly Muscogee couple, Selo and Tefe (Mother and Papa).
As I turned the pages, it felt as if I were sitting at the kitchen table watching Selo cook pork chops, the meat sizzling in the pan.
I was fascinated by the authenticity of these characters, by their conversations, by the everyday moments of their lives, as they navigate aging and dementia.
The work is fiction, but this book is not a light and breezy novel.
I kept reading.
For Selo and Tefe, every single day on their farm is a day of survival. Tefe is blind and nearly deaf. They are poor, rely on rides from others, and they often need medical attention.
These fictional characters felt touchable-real to me in their conversations and their actions.
Author Rosemary McCombs Maxey is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and is a Master Language teacher with the College of the Muscogee Nation.
Maxey’s choice to incorporate words and phrases from their language deepens the immersion for the reader.
Papa’s Pills is an invitation to explore the Muscogee (Creek) language and culture.
This is a powerful book. Because of the vividness of Selo and Tefe and their lasting relationship, I will carry them with me for a long time.
Cheryl
