You probably know the story of the late Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. However, you might not recognize her husband, Charlie Soap, whose role as a Native community organizer is no less significant. Combining memoir, history, and current affairs, this book charts for the first time the life and work of this influential Cherokee. In managing public infrastructure projects, housing assistance, and water development in the Cherokee Nation, Soap exemplifies ga-du-gi, the Cherokee word for community members working together for the collective good.
Oklahoma native Greg Shaw has reported for the Cherokee Advocate and served as an executive for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In telling this stories, he gives voice to his sources. As a longtime colleague and friend of the family, Greg draws on his many travels and interviews with Soap as well as previously unpublished writings.
