BOOKS & BREWS: THE BLUE TATTOO: THE LIFE OF OLIVE OATMAN” BY MARGOT MIFFLIN

Books. Drinks. A little history. And a story that gets stranger the deeper you go. Books & Brews, our monthly book club with our friends at the Lorain Public Library, is back at Speak of the Devil, and this time we’re discussing “THE BLUE TATTOO: THE LIFE OF OLIVE OATMAN” by Margot Mifflin. And Olive Oatman’s story is a hell of one. In 1851, at just 13 years old, Oatman was traveling west with her family when their wagon party was attacked. She was taken captive, eventually lived among the Mohave people, and received the distinctive blue facial tattoo that would follow her for the rest of her life. But “The Blue Tattoo” digs beyond the sensationalized version of Olive’s story that 19th-century America turned into legend—looking instead at identity, survival, assimilation and the complicated question of where Olive actually felt she belonged. There is A LOT to talk about with this one. So grab the book, grab a drink and join us around the tables for another evening of good conversation with good people. At Speak of the Devil — your neighborhood bar/book club/occasional history seminar.