Buy the Book: BookShop, University of Nebraska Press, Amazon

A vast, barren landscape or a place of subtle natural beauty; the middle of nowhere or the gateway to the cultural and historical riches of the West; many things to many people and a cipher to many more—the great state of Nebraska is by force of circumstances a place of possibilities. What these possibilities are and what they promise are precisely what the writers of The Big Empty tell us.

Exploring the state from its rural reaches to its urban engines, from its marvelous ecosystems to its myriad historical and cultural offerings, these narratives evoke Nebraska in all its facets. Writers as diverse as Ron Hansen, Ted Kooser, Michael Anania, Bob Kerrey, Mary Pipher, Delphine Red Shirt, and William Kloefkorn, among many others, bring a wealth of perspectives and styles to topics such as the Oregon Trail and the Cheyenne Exodus, farming and Internet cafés, politics, weather, and family secrets. The result is a portrait whose broad strokes and rich detail capture the mysterious character of Nebraska.

 “A wise friend once recommended learning about an unfamiliar place by reading the works of authors who live there. That theory proves true with this collection of 27 previously published essays and excerpts by Nebraskan nonfiction writers .... This diverse collection enables the reader to experience life in Nebraska. An excellent selection for regional libraries and academic literature collections.”

—Library Journal

“This book is a pleasure to read .... Although many of the selections are excerpts from longer works, for the most part they feel satisfyingly self-contained .... The volume as a whole .... is thoughtfully arranged .... These writers take unflinching looks at racism, the Vietnam War, rural poverty, environmental degradation, and other unflattering episodes in the state''s history. The book is nevertheless filled with humor .... [I]t's certain that readers will never look at a barbed-wire fence or a buffalo chip the same way again.”

—Bloomsbury Review

“These essays are springs from which flows our collective identity .... Read The Big Empty slowly. Savor the depth of thought, the breadth of subjects, the richness of language. Distance surrounds us, and these Nebraska writers, 'who pass through it with open eyes,' as Ron Block says, open ours.”

—Linda Read Deeds, Nebraska Life