To Be Hoosiers: Historic Stories of Character and Fortitude

by Ray E. Boomhower

Since Indiana joined the Union in 1816, residents and visitors alike have pondered the essential "What is a Hoosier?" The final answer may never be determined, but there are, at least, ways to understand the Hoosier character. It was African American pilots taking a stand for equal rights. It was a speech by a presidential candidate that helped keep peace on a tragic night. It was the triumph and near tragedy involving a Mercury Seven astronaut. And it was a sacrifice that ensured a crucial American victory in the Pacific during World War II. As Kurt Vonnegut once said, "I don't know what it is about Hoosiers, but wherever you go there is always a Hoosier doing something very important there." Award-winning biographer Ray E. Boomhower tells us why.

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2020

About the author

From famed World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle to unlucky astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, author and historian Ray E. Boomhower has produced books on a variety of notable figures in Indiana and American history.

Currently senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press, where he edits the quarterly popular history magazine Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Boomhower has also published books on the life of Civil War general and author Lew Wallace, reformer and peace activist May Wright Sewall, U.S. Navy ace Alex Vraciu, and journalist and diplomat John Bartlow Martin.

In 1998 he received the Hoosier Historian award from the Indiana Historical Society and in 2010 he was named winner of the Regional Author Award in the annual Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards. In 2009 his book Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary was selected as the winner in the historical nonfiction category of the annual Best Books of Indiana contest sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book. His books have also been finalists in the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently to be a Hoosier, you have to be a writer, military, or a politician. It especially helps if you're a white man. The author only highlights two women. One was not even a Hoosier; she just happened to spend some time at Purdue. The other woman was a suffragette, but instead of telling us about her deeds in the movement, the author tells us about the spiritualist book she wrote. There was only one entry for African-Americans. Even better, one entry was written in regards to a sand dune (I guess you could say Hoosiers were great at dismantling it).
Also, to be a great Hoosier, you have to be dead. The most recent entry died in 2007.
I'm really not sure how the title connects to the chapters of this book. The author rarely points out the characteristics he thinks defines a Hoosier. And half of the people weren't even Hoosiers. They just happened to do something interesting while on Indiana soil.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about Hoosiers, especially the nods to Decatur County, Franklin and Franklin College!

I purchased this book while attending a book signing at Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin.