pemA thought-provoking collection of essays on life and livingemp pemVoices from the Heartlandem is a celebration of women's contributions to Oklahoma's recent past. It records defining moments in women's lives--whether surviving the Oklahoma City bombing or surviving abuse--and represents a wide range of professions, lifestyles, and backgrounds to show how extraordinary lives have grown from the seeds of ordinary girlhoods.p pFrom former Cherokee principal chief Wilma Mankiller, First Lady Kim Henry, novelist Billie Letts, and prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, to OU basketball coach Sherri Coale, the authors share their personal reflections on finding balance as they look back on defining moments in their lives, mull over what they wish they had learned sooner, and convey the wisdom they've unearthed on their journeys thus far.p pTouching on topics from adultery to left-handedness, from losing children to losing perspective, these essays speak from the heart to reveal what it means to