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Sam Sackett holds a Ph.D. in English from UCLA and taught for 23 years at Fort Hays (KS) State University. Having burned out, he worked first for a newspaper, next an advertising agency, and then a public relations firm. By this time an expert on career change, he went into career management.
Dr. Sackett retired in 2003 and lived in Thailand for six years. He has now returned to the U.S. and lives in Oklahoma with his wife, Suwapee.
Earlier publications include a collection of Kansas Folklore (with W.E. Koch); Cowboys and the Songs They Sang, a children's book; a critical study of E.W. Howe; and The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short, a translation of a novel by Johan Daisne.
More recent books are Sweet Betsy from Pike, The Robin Hood Chronicles, and Adolf Hitler in Oz.
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
"Sweet Betsy from Pike" is a fascinating old American ballad, believed to have been written before 1858, by John Stone. It is the story of a pioneer named Betsy who flees to California and the Gold Rush with her lover, Isaac; and now Sam Sackett has put that famous old song into story form. Betsy Potter and her lover, Isaac McNab, flee their homes in Louisiana, Pike County, Missouri in 1849, stealing a wagon, supplies, and money. They head out West with Ike's yellow dog, a rooster and a young pig, and joining a wagon train, meet up with Native Americans, drought, and unpredictable weather as they want to reach California before springtime. Reaching Hangtown, California, Isaac pans for gold while Betsy opens a restaurant. Will they marry and then divorce, as the old song goes? Sam Sackett prefaces each chapter in this retelling with a verse from "Sweet Betsy from Pike" and has a talented songster sing the song to a well-entertained Betsy.
Although Sam Sackett's manuscript needs formatting and editing, he has written a highly readable retelling of this old ballad. If the chapters are formalized, this book will be a winner with everyone. Characters speak in the every-man's language of that time period, adding authenticity to this story. Readers everywhere will enjoy reading this story and will get into the country vernacular of those times. Betsy Potter is a woman of her times: a strong, determined plains woman who uses her brain. She's also a total "hoot" to boot! Sam Sackett has done very well with this old song!
