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    Roscoe
    Roscoe
    Roscoe
    Ebook37 pages29 minutes

    Roscoe

    By Mark Cook

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Roscoe is a short story about two men, generations apart, who become unlikely friends.Set in Tulsa, OK in the late 1990s, Roscoe is about a reading tutor who becomes the student when he learns about a terrible event in Oklahoma history.

    North Tulsa is not a place where a middle class, white teenager is usually found.  Mark goes there to help Roscoe, a 97-year old black man, learn to read.  Roscoe teaches him about the Tulsa Race Riot, one of the worst race riots in American history.  Mark even faces racism himself when he ventures into a neighborhood he is not welcome in.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMark Cook
    Release dateOct 22, 2018
    ISBN9781386406334
    Roscoe
    Author

    Mark Cook

    Mark Cook was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 1962. He spent his childhood playing and working on his grandparents dairy farm in Eldon, Oklahoma. His short stories Fritter and Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise were set on that farm. "My fondest memories are squirrel hunting in the woods and roaming the pastures and creeks searching for treasures." Mark is a Cherokee Citizen, and lives with his wife and their dogs east of Pryor Creek, Oklahoma. He teaches English at an at-risk high school in Broken Arrow and creative writing to adults at Northeast Tech in Claremore, OK.

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      Book preview

      Roscoe - Mark Cook

      This story is a work of fiction. All names, characters, institutions, places, and events portrayed in each story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is entirely coincidental.

      Acknowledgements

      A special thanks to Lisa, my wife.  She tries not to laugh at my jokes, but rarely succeeds.

      Forward

      Roscoe is historical fiction. Meaning the characters are completely made up, but the events are true. About 16 years ago, I taught Oklahoma history for one semester. I know, pure torture.  However, during that time, I happened to see a newscast that featured a story on the Tulsa Race Riot Commission. I had never heard of the Tulsa race riot.

      The next day when I arrived at school, I looked in the Oklahoma history book for more information. What I found was a shame. There was one short paragraph about one of the worst race riots in the history of our nation.

      I began searching the Internet (this was way before Google.). There was little to nothing about the riot. However, I did find a few books at Barnes and Noble about the race riot. A few months later the findings of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission were available on the Internet. I printed out the report and read it several times.

      My intention was to write a novel about the riot. However, the best I could come up with is a short story. The riot description in this story is based on that report.  Roscoe is based on a black man who lived next door to me 50 years ago. I don’t remember much about him other than he was kind to my sister and me. 

      I hope you enjoy Roscoe and learn a little bit of Oklahoma history. 

      Sincerely,

      ––––––––

      Mark Cook

      Roscoe

      Monday, May 3, 1999

      The old house was like all the other houses on the block: the paint was chipping, and the roof needed replacing years ago. Boxwood hedges camouflaged the three concrete block steps to the front porch. I got out of my brand new 1999 Mustang my parents got me for graduation and ambled up the worn cement walkway to the front porch. As I stepped up on the second rickety concrete block it shifted under my weight and nearly bucked me off into the waiting shrubs.  When I finally made it to the safety of the front porch, it was

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