John J. Dwyer's New Historical Novel
AN AMERICAN ODYSSEY OF LOVE & WAR
“The difference between John Dwyer and other historical authors is that he doesn’t just tell what happened, he shows why people did what they did.”
—Dr. Bob Blackburn, Executive Director, Oklahoma Historical Society
Shortgrass
Mennonite farm boy Lance Roark’s faith is as big as the challenges he faces on his family’s drought-ravaged Dust Bowl spread on the old Chisholm Trail. But college football glory and the skills of a natural born flyer carry him away from home and into contact with famed aviators Charles Lindbergh and Wiley Post, entertainment icons Will Rogers and Bing Crosby, best-selling young author John F. Kennedy, and President Franklin Roosevelt.
As war clouds gather across the seas, he finds romance first with teenaged Chickasaw cowgirl and stunt flying sensation Sadie Stanton, then with beautiful oil heiress Mary Katherine Murchison, whose mesmerizing voice carries her to Big Band Era stardom. Nearly all of this crashes against his pious, peaceable ways. And it leads him into the dangerous world of America First, the Lindbergh-led organization that opposes the popular Roosevelt’s covert drive toward American involvement in World War II, already ablaze in both Europe and the Pacific.
When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Lance, dedicated never to raise his hand against another human being, faces his ultimate decision—whether to accept command of a B-17 Flying Fortress in which he would face, and inflict, mass slaughter in Nazi-occupied Europe amidst history’s most fearsome war.
"John J. Dwyer's Shortgrass is great writing and compelling story-telling. It resonates with power and drama and engages the heart. One of the best writers in the western United States."
—Patrick B. McGuigan, City Sentinel Newspaper
"I read Shortgrass over the weekend, which is good, because I wouldn't have been worth much at work till I finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to know when I can get hold of Mustang, the sequel.
—Steve Coleman, Chairman, Oklahoma Honor Flights
"How do I know there's a God? Because, for one thing, he keeps raising up eloquent, decisive champions of the faith: the likes of John Dwyer. A born communicator, John brings Christian conviction and learning, and with it a gentle humility, to literary tasks great and small."
—William Murchison, former Senior Editor, Dallas Morning News
"John Dwyer writes as he thinks: lucidly, dynamically, engagingly. Wherever John takes you, you'll be glad you went. And you will want to go again."
—Reg Grant, Senior Professor and Department Chair,
Dallas Theological Seminary