Southwest Books of the Year

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110 Degrees: Tucson's Youth Tell Tucson's Stories: By various authors Voices Community Stories Past and Present Inc. Distributed by Arizona Daily Star 32 pp. Issue Six, Summer 2006. Newsprint tabloid. $; 110 Degrees: Tucson's Youth Tell Tucson's Stories is an annual magazine produced by youths between 14 and 20 years old. It presents untold stories of people of all ages, backgrounds, colors and experiences. Youth are mentored in research, interviewing, writing and photography by professional writers and photographers. The 2006 publication covers a number of significant issues: surviving genocide, dealing with homelessness, coping with loss, immigration.

110 Degrees is a project of Voices: Community Stories Past and Present Inc., a Tucson-based nonprofit organization that works to document community stories and inspire individuals to explore their own stories and their connections to their communities.
48th, The: By Raymond F. Aube Authorhouse 400 pp. $19.95; A sprawling history of Arizona told through the experiences of a multi-generational family. Not seen by panelists.
49 Trout Streams of New Mexico: By Raymond C. Shewnack and William T. Frangos University of New Mexico Press 101 pp. $24.95; If you're a fly fisherman who picks this book up, don't expect to get any work done the rest of the day. You'll be hooked on its photos of pools and riffles, brownies and rainbows, Ginger Quills and Royal Wulffs. Written by two avid fly fishermen, this book uniquely captures the individual personalities of trout streams better than any I've read. A tranquil antidote for winter's cabin fever. [Bill Broyles]
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Phoenix: Including Tempe, Scottsdale, and Glendale: By Charles Liu, Menasha Ridge Press 262 pp. Index. $16.95; Spin your compass in any direction from Phoenix and you'll find a good hike. This book covers some of the traditional favorites (Camelback Mountain, South Mountain) as well as some less traveled (Vineyard Trail, Mount Peeley). The trail directions seem reasonably clear and inviting. The hikes range from easy to challenging, and distances range from 2 to 16 miles--all can be done in a day, though backpackers may wish to camp overnight on some of the jaunts. The book could be used for an interesting year of weekend and vacation hikes, close to home, with minimal travel expenses. Maps, photos, elevation profiles. [Bill Broyles]
Academic Pursuits (Fiction): By Mac Brothers PublishAmerica 254 pp. $21.95; The trials and tribulations of a dedicated professor at a major university. Not seen by panelists.
Across a Hundred Mountains: A Novel (Fiction): By Reyna Grande Atria Books 259 pp. $23.00
Airplane Was My Burro, An: The Memoirs of a Venturesome Geologist: By Robert R. Reynolds iUniverse 248 pp. Index. $18.95; The wide-ranging recollections of a retired geologist who travelled the world, sometimes by flying his own plane.
Albuquerque in Our Time: 30 Voices, 300 Years: Edited by Debra Hughes Museum of New Mexico Press 144 pp. Index. $24.95; On the occasion of the city’s tricentennial, this is a compilation of personal memories of Albuquerque by “thirty of its most colorful citizens,” including Senator Pete Dominici and Tony Hillerman.
Albuquerque Remembered: By Howard Bryan University of New Mexico Press 287 pp. $19.95; In the main, the author, a newspaperman, has based this lively history of Albuquerque on a variety of newspaper articles and advertisements. Therefore, rather than a recap of how things once were at any particular time, we can relive an event as reported in the papers. For example, among a list of ordinances for 1863, one prohibited persons to walk in the town intoxicated, or to utter scandalous or obscene words. There is good coverage of events, starting with Albuquerque under Spanish rule to the year 2000, and vignettes about its citizens are not omitted. [Patricia Etter]
All Things, All At Once: New and Selected Stories (Fiction): By Lee K. Abbott, W. W. Norton & Co. 365 pp. $26.95; In this assured collection of two dozen short stories, most set in Las Cruces and southern New Mexico, Abbott thoughtfully examines the interplay of fate and circumstance and how they make heroes or fools of us all.
American Skin (Fiction): By Ken Bruen, Justin, Charles & Company 280 pp. $$24.95 cloth; The Edgar Award-winning author of "The Guards" plumbs the depths of the Irish and American psyches in this violence-fueled thriller that propels its protagonist from a bungled IRA heist to the dream world of Las Vegas and the brutal reality of the Tucson desert.
Amphibians, Reptiles and Their Habitats at Sabino Canyon: By David Wentworth Lazaroff, Philip C. Rosen, and Charles H. Lowe University of Arizona Press/The Southwest Center Series 158 pp. Index. $17.95; Besides a great place to picnic or hike, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area near Tucson is a fascinating place to watch wildlife. This book features 17 species of lizards, eieght species of toads and frogs, six turtles and tortoises, 25 snakes, and 1 salamander. Photos of the species and maps of their ranges are included. The authors provide insights into the geography and habitats (both terrestrial and aquatic) of Sabino Canyon. The book is guaranteed to enhance our appreciation of desert creatures. Newcomers to Tucson used to receive a gift package from the Welcome Wagon hosted by local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. Items included a street map, coupons, and such. The Welcome Wagon should be revived and include books like this one. [Bill Broyles]
Antiquities Act, The: A Century of American Archaeology, Historic Preservation, and Nature Conservation: Edited by David Harmon, Francis P. McManamon, and Dwight T. Pitcaithley University of Arizona Press 326 pp. Index. $$45.00 cloth; $19.95 pbk; Drawing on the expertise of 24 scholars, we are treated to a readable history of the Antiquities Act of 1906. President Roosevelt signed the act into law 100 years ago on July 8, 1906, and three months later, created the first national monument at Devil's Tower, Wyoming. As time went on, the need to protect historic sites resulted in passage of the Historic Sites Act in 1935. And in 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act was written to protect a wider range of properties than the two earlier acts. Included are tables of sites proclaimed for preservation by presidents during their administrations. [Patricia Etter]
Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains: By Jane Eppinga, Arcadia Publishing 127 pp. Images of America Series. $19.95; Everyone has heard of the Superstition Mountains and legends of lost gold, but not everyone has been there or visited the nearest town of Apache Junction. This book is your ticket. The diverse and well-printed photos make for a fun day traveling through time. Eppinga's interesting captions tell the story. This book graphically tells the tales and introduces the people as no academic book can. Eppinga takes us on a very enjoyable trip. [Bill Broyles]
Archaeology of Chaco Canyon, The: An Eleventh-Century Pueblo Regional Center: Edited by Stephen H. Lekson; Advanced Seminar Series School of American Research Press 540 pp. Index. $60.00 cloth; $34.95 pbk; Unlike most reports following conferences, this book is lively, interesting, readable, and provocative. It is the result of the 2002 Chaco Capstone Conference and untold hours of discussion and careful thought. Twenty experts contributed 12 chapters discussing and unraveling the significance of the long-studied ruins at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. One contributor even dares to ask were the people of Chaco happy? The result is a significant summary and synthesis of Chaco's fascinating history. Of special interest are fold-out time lines detailing Chaco's history from AD 500 to 1275 in 25 year increments. Of special significance is Lynne Sebastian's synthesis and process chapter where she reviews what is known about Chaco and its region, what it means, and what needs to be studied next. In many ways, the book is a model of how archaeology and other matters should be discussed; as Sebastian reminds us, "taking smart, knowledgeable people, feeding them good food, and locking them in a room for several days generally yields remarkable results." This is a companion volume to Joan Mathien's Culture and Ecology of Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin (2005). Maps, photos (color and B/W), graphs, bibliography. [Bill Broyles]
Arizona Dreams (Fiction): By Jon Talton, Poisoned Pen Press 206 pp. $24.95; This is the fourth novel in the popular Arizona mystery series featuring Deputy David Mapstone, of Phoenix, the Maricopa County Sheriff's go-to guy who operates under the guise of official Sheriff’s Office Historian. All of a sudden, Mapstone finds himself with too many women in his life. One of them is his wife's estranged sister, who turns up on their doorstep unexpectedly right after a homicide down the street. Another is a mysterious woman with a letter from her deceased father, confessing to a murder forty years ago. Both have the makings of real trouble. If you are new to this engaging, well-written series from veteran Phoenix reporter John Talton, you will want to start at the beginning, with Concrete Desert. [Sharon Gilbert]
Arizona Women: Weird, Wild and Wonderful: By Dee Strickland Johnson, Cowboy Miner Productions 135 pp. Index. $19.95; Johnson ("Buckshot Dot"), an award-winning cowboy poet, relates in verse the stories of thirteen colorful Arizona women from Sarah Bowman ("The Great Western") to historian and poet Sharlot Hall, along with brothel keeper Jennie Banters, Mad Mollie Monroe, and other lesser-known but colorful figures. Brief introductions, footnotes, suggested reading, and drawings by the author provide historical context.
Art and Life of Lucas Johnson, The: Preface by Walter Hopps ; essay by Edmund P. Pillsbury ; chronology by Patricia Covo Johnson Houston Artists Fund; distributed by University of Texas Press 183 pp. Index. Large format, 10" x 12". $34.95; After living ten influential years in Mexico, Lucas Johnson has a style that reflects a fascinating fusion of American modern art with the passion and color of Latin America. This beautiful volume is a photographic compilation of much of his work.
Bear Hill (Fiction): By Richard W. Snow; illustrated by Tom Bretz RoseDog Books 84 pp. $12.00; A fictionalized account of life among the Anasazis. Not seen by panelists.
Bear Ridge (Fiction): By Elaine Long University of New Mexico Press 291 pp. $24.95; Three graduate students must live, learn, and cope with each other and the environment during a bear study in the mountains of Utah.
Below the Escondido Rim: A History of the 02 Ranch in the Texas Big Bend: By David W. Keller, Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University 261 pp. 2 folded plates. $19.95; This thorough, detailed history chronicles the O2 cattle ranch from its founding in 1890. Once covering 275,000 acres, the ranch drew its share of interesting characters, memorable events, and crises as drought and declining beef profits have forced owners and cowboys to look to alternative business models such as ecotourism, paid hunting, recreation, and conservation easements. It is a familiar story of Indian removal, cattle barons, cows, and rebellious land. The ranch is somewhere south of Alpine, Texas. [Bill Broyles]
Bernard Plossu's New Mexico: Photographs by Bernard Plossu ; text by Gilles Mora ; foreword by Edward T. Hall University of New Mexico Press 165 pp. Index. $29.95; Like a jovial dinner guest from abroad who teases us about our customs and attitudes, foreign commentators can show us much about ourselves. Through their jibes and confusions we gain new perspectives on our lives. In the late 1970s French photographer Bernard Plossu took his keen eye and camera to New Mexico, and his film delivers his vision of the Land of Enchantment. He recorded its "roughness and austerity" through a 50 mm lens, gathering a memorable assortment of people, pickup trucks, adobes, horses, horizons, and highways. He lends us a different sense of what we think is important in our lives. In his text, Giles Mora notes that the photographs generally are autobiographically happy encounters with friendly people and new places. [Bill Broyles]
Best Short Hikes in Arizona: By Don and Barbara Laine and Lawrence Letham The Mountaineers Books 253 pp. Index. $15.95; This is a good basic introductory guide for getting started in hiking around Arizona. For the most part, it features good trails in well-known locations that are easily accessible and not too challenging. It is well organized and quite detailed, including maps, photos, information sources and even graphs of elevation change versus distance along the route for each hike.; The authors contend that a short hike is better than no hike and pitch this book to "day-hikers, families, and people with busy schedules." They list 60 hikes of 1 to 7 miles, most of them near cities. The directions are clear and enticing, but most of the hikes will require more time in the car than on the trail. They include no hikes in the western third of Arizona, thereby missing some magnificent strolls and neglecting a significant audience.
Between Heaven and Texas: Preface by Wyman Meinzer ; introduction by Sarah Bird ; poems selected by Naomi Shihab Nye University of Texas Press 107 pp. 10 1/4 by 11 1/2-inch format. $34.95; A beautiful set of photographs centered on the theme of the sky over the diverse landscape of Texas. With changes in the light, time of day, clouds, weather and locale, the variation on this theme is wonderful. It includes a memoir and selection of poetry. A very nice book for the coffee table.; Here is a coffee table book of unusually dramatic color photographs of the Texas sky in all its various moods. These are enhanced with a collection of poems by Naomi Shihab Nye.
Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West: By Richard W. Etulain, University of New Mexico Press 466 pp. Index. $39.95 cloth; $24.95 pb; A modern perspective on the history of the West by a prominent western historian primarily for college classes, this is an interesting and readable narrative (no questions at the end of the chapter) that will appeal to a wider audience. Emphasizing causation and flow of history rather than the copious details, Professor emeritus Etulain starts with what we know of the first inhabitants and takes us right up to the present.
Big Bend National Park: Photographs by Laurence Parent, text by Joe Nick Patoski University of Texas Press 112 pp. 10" X 11" Hardcover. $29.95; Finally, a book that does justice to the majesty and beauty of Big Bend National Park. In the author's words, "Big Bend is about as eternal as a place can be within the boundaries of Texas: the last place where you can go and be alone, where you can hear the sound of silence, where your spirit can be restored." If that doesn't seduce you, the photos will. [Bill Broyles]
Big Dams of the New Deal Era: a Confluence of Engineering and Politics: By David P. Billington and Donald C. Jackson University of Oklahoma Press 369 pp. Index. $36.95; This tale of engineering and politics provides a fascinating account of how mega-projects are done. For example, on the Colorado River, Hoover Dam was finished in 1935, but its heritage goes back at least four decades earlier as farmers, developers, and politicians jockeyed and lobbied for land and water. They used a number of reasons to convince the federal government to pay for the project. The multipurpose dam itself is an engineering marvel, but nothing compared to the intrigue and negotiations required to fund it, as well as the politics to control and distribute Colorado River water. Much of the book portrays dams outside the Southwest.
Big Dreams and Dark Secrets in Chimayo (Fiction): By G. Benito Cordova, University of New Mexico Press 304 pp. $26.95; In this picaresque novel by an emeritus professor of anthropology, the much-put-upon protagonist discovers the limitations of rural New Mexico folkways, often with hilarious results.
Bit the Jackpot (Fiction): By Erin McCarthy, Berkley Sensation 299 pp. $14.00; In this imaginative novel, vampire and romance genres collide in Las Vegas with humorous consequences.
Blazin' Bloats & Cows on Fire!: By Baxter Black; illustrated by Bob Black Coyote Cowboy Co. 124 pp. Subtitle on cover: Or, it's Hard to Blow Out a Holstein. $19.95; A collection of cowboy poetry, short stories and tall tales by NPR correspondent and former large animal veterinarian Baxter Black.
Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West: By Hampton Sides Doubleday 462 pp. $26.95 cloth; The bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers does for southwestern exploration what Stephen Ambrose, in Undaunted Courage, did for Lewis and Clark's opening of the Pacific Northwest. Centering his story loosely around the life and career of frontiersman Kit Carson, Sides relates, in engrossing detail, America's pursuit of Manifest Destiny and the dispossession of the Navajo. Carson emerges as both hero and villain among a fascinating cast of characters--Anglo, Hispanic and Native American--vying for control of a continent. This is popular history at its best. The dust-jacket illustration of Apache (rather than Navajo) warriors is a reminder of how Easterners today continue to stereotype the Southwest. [Bruce Dinges]
Border Ransom (Fiction): By Pat Carr TCU Press 177 pp. $14.95; A determined fifteen-year-old must adjust to the death of her parents and learn to cope with her estranged grandparents, antique dealers in 1914 El Paso. This Young Adult title is set against the early days of World War I and the tensions created by Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution.
Boys at the Bar, The: Antics of a Vanishing Breed of Cowboys and Hellions: By Sureva Towler Johnson Books 143 pp. $15.00; The vanishing American West is the subject of the ruminations of the denizens of a Colorado bar, as collected by a columnist for the Denver Post. The Southwest content is negligible.
Brave Boy and Good Soldier, A: John C. C. Hill & the Texas Expedition to Mier: By Mary Margaret McAllen Amberson, Texas State Historical Association 0 pp. $12.95 paper, 24.95 cloth; This popularly written, thoroughly researched, book for young adults tells the dramatic true-life story of a fourteen-year-old boy taken prisoner during the ill-fated 1842 Texan invasion of Mexico, his adoption by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, and his eventual career as one of Mexico's leading mining experts and railroad engineers. A teacher's guide is available.
Brides and Sinners in El Chuco (Fiction): By Christine Granados, University of Arizona Press 120 pp. $14.95; Humor enlivens this collection of short stories that focus on working-class, and ocassionally on down-and-out, Mexican American life in modern-day El Paso. Wickedly funny and pointedly unsentimental, Granados is a promising new voice in southwestern fiction. [Bruce Dinges]
Building the Grand Canyon State: Public Works in Arizona History: By Mark E. Pry and Fred Andersen Arizona Chapter of the American Public Works Association 170 pp. Index.8.5" X 11". $30.00; This interesting book discusses our Arizona highways, dams, airports, bridges, water systems, and treatment plants. Since it covers only the 20th century, Hohokam canals are not included. It is a good reminder to not take infrastructure for granted.
Burning, The: A Novel (Fiction): By Thomas Legendre, Little, Brown 357 pp. $24.95; Phoenicians will wince at Legendre's description of their community as "L.A.'s retarded little brother," but the Arizona State University MFA graduate makes a promising debut in this literate and compulsively readable exploration of love, addiction, and the deteriorating relationship between a young ASU economics professor and his wife, a former Las Vegas card dealer.
Byron Cummings: Dean of Southwest Archaeology: By Todd W. Bostwick, University of Arizona Press 350 pp. Index. $55.00; Few names are better known in Southwest archaeology than Byron Cummings (1860?-1954), but until this scholarly and comprehensive biography, we knew his life only from bits and pieces. Pick a Southwestern site--Kayenta, Lehner, Kinishba, Pueblo Grande--or archaeologist-- Haury, Ezell, Kidder, Douglass--and you’ll likely find some connection with Cummings. Bostwick has written what will probably be the definitive work and paints a balanced picture of a man who wore many hats, influenced many people, and accomplished more than most people ever dream of doing. The book constitutes an archaeologist's trench through a major site and vividly reveals a fascinating cross section of the history of Southwestern archaeology. [Bill Broyles]; Though he has been faulted for his failure to produce exacting scientific reports, Byron Cummings made archaeology happen in Arizona because he wrote about his excavations for the general public. During the first half of the twentieth century, he investigated and excavated some 100 prehistoric sites in Arizona with his students from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Bostwick has given us a most readable narrative, which in addition to being a biography of a man, is also a detailed history of the Arizona State Museum, where Cummings deposited the thousands of artifacts retrieved from Kiet Siel, Betatakin, Tuzigoot, Ventana Cave, Snaketown, Gila Pueblo, and Montezuma Castle, just to name a few. His students achieved fame in their own right, and among the elite were Clara Lee Fraps (Tanner), Emil Haury, Frances Gilmor, and Edward Spicer. Cummings was also responsible for the formation of a number of National Monuments to preserve the various ruins, he served for awhile as President of the University of Arizona, and above all, worked to keep Arizona's ancient artifactual treasures in the state. [Patricia Etter]
Carlos and the Carnival/Carlos y la Feria (Fiction): By Jan Romero Stevens, illustrated by Jeanne Arnold Rising Moon 32 pp. Hardcover, 8-1/2" x 11". Bilingual Spanish/English text. $15.95; Carlos goes to a carnival and learns, the hard way, that a fool and his money are soon parted. A reprint of a title that first appeared in 1999.
Casas Grandes and the Ceramic Art of the Ancient Southwest: Richard F. Townsend, Editor Art Institute of Chicago, in association with Yale University Press 208 pp. $45; Whether you study Indian art or collect it, this beautiful book on the pottery of Casas Grandes will rivet you with its 214 sumptuous color and 33 B/W photos and essays by Ken Kokrda, Barbara L. Moulard, and Richard F. Townsend. The authors effectively show the influence that Casas Grandes had on the entire Southwest, not just in Chihuahua, starting about A.D. 1250 when Paquimé was founded. The ancient artwork is absolutely stunning in its beauty, detail, and function. The pottery traditions begun back then continue today. We are fortunate that modern Native American artists continue this proud tradition, ably providing not only replicas of the old pottery, but evolving new styles and art. [Bill Broyles]
Cesar Chavez, the Catholic Bishops, and the Farmworkers' Struggle for Social Justice: By Marco G. Prouty, The University of Arizona Press 208 pp. $$40; This is a thoroughly researched and very detailed book about the relationships and actions between three key parties to the struggle for better working conditions for migrant farm workers in California during the 1960s and 70s, Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, the large land owners, and the Catholic Church. The Church faced a classic dilemma: both sides of the conflict were largely Catholic and the land owners were important financial supporters.
Chicano and Chicana Literature: Otra voz del pueblo: By Charles M. Tatum, The University of Arizona Press 232 pp. $17.95; One of a series of undergraduate texts published by the University of Arizona Press entitled the Mexican American Experience, this volume by the Dean of the College of Humanities at the UofA is a survey of Chicano literature.
Chile Aphrodisia: By Amy Reiley and Annette Tomei; Cook West Series Rio Nuevo Publishers 80 pp. Index.6 1/2" X 8 1/4". $12.95; This is one of a new series of topical cook books with a southwestern flavor, "Cook West," published by Rio Nuevo Publishers of Tucson. Like a fine meal, the recipes are good and the presentations are superb. The focus of this volume is, of course, chile, a crucial ingredient for aspiring southwestern cooks.
Chronicles of Panchita Villa and Other Guerrilleras, The: Essays on Chicana/Latina Literature and Criticism: By Tey Diana Rebolledo, University of Texas Press 270 pp. Index. $21.95; "Guerilleras" refers to Robledo's wish that Chicana writers declare war on the academy, since she feels that Chicana writers have been marginalized in spite of their talent. Her study tackles numerous topics, including historical development of Chicana literature. Though a very good read, the book has little of what we might call Southwestern content.
Cilantro Secrets: Cook West Series Rio Nuevo Publishers 80 pp. Index.6 1/2" X 8 3/4". $12.95; This is one of a new series of topical cook books with a southwestern flavor, "Cook West," published by Rio Nuevo Publishers of Tucson. Like a fine meal, the recipes are good and the presentations are superb. The focus of this volume is, of course, cilantro, a key ingredient for southwestern cooking.
Citrus Essentials: Cook West Series Rio Nuevo Publishers 80 pp. Index.6 1/2 by 8 3/4- inch format. $12.95; This is one of a new series of topical cook books with a southwestern flavor, "Cook West," published by Rio Nuevo Publishers of Tucson. Like a fine meal, the recipes are good and the presentations are superb. The focus of this volume is, of course, citrus, which adds zest to so many wonderful dishes.
Civil War in Arizona, The: The Story of the California Volunteers, 1861-1865: By Andrew Edward Masich, University of Oklahoma Press 368 pp. Index. $32.95 cloth; Andrew Masich gives us a fine history of the California Column in Arizona during the Civil War, including details of the westernmost battle against soldiers from the Confederate stronghold in Tucson. That battle, mainly a skirmish, took place on April 15, 1862, with troops trained for survival in the harsh environs of the Arizona desert by the no-nonsense Brig. Gen. James H. Carlton. Also included are the volunteer soldiers' letters published in the San Francisco Daily Alta between 1862 and 1865. Masich has further enhanced the content with carefully-researched annotations. The book is well illustrated with numerous rare photographs. [Patricia Etter]
Civil War to the Bloody End: By Jerry Thompson Texas A&M University Press 464 pp. Index. $35.00; Based on extensive research, particularly in Heintzelman's detailed journals, Thompson has produced an authoratative and long-overdue biography of the soldier-entrepreneur who established Fort Yuma and who promoted Arizona territorial development as a principal investor in the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company near Tubac. Heintzelman distinguished himself in the Cortina War along the Texas Rio Grande border, served as a corps commander and as superintendent of prisoners during the Civil War, and returned to the Southwest during Texas Reconstruction. [Bruce Dinges]
Classic Hopi and Zuni Kachina Figures: Photographs by Andrea Portago; text by Barton Wright Museum of New Mexico Press 173 pp. 10 1/2" X 12 1/2". $55.00; This fine volume presents natural-light photographs of a selection of 85 rare classic period (1880s - 1940s) Hopi and Zuni kachina carvings from museum and private collections that have seldom or never been exhibited.
Cliffie Experience, A: Tales of New Mexico 1902-1940: By Mary Lou Heaphy, Diamond Press 294 pp. $25.00; Written by her adopted daughter, this is a loving memoir of a bold, eccentric and flamboyant woman who was centrally involved in the development of Albuquerque from a small town to a major city of the Southwest.
Close Encounters of the Bovine: Recollections of a Rural Veterinarian: By Rosalie Cooper-Chase, Spring Creek Press/Johnson Books 188 pp. $16.00; Recollections of a large animal veterinarian in rural East Texas. Not southwestern.
Colorado Ice, Volume 1: By Jack Roberts, Polar Star Communications 367 pp. Index.5" x 7" pb. $32.00; In the realm of extreme sports, technical climbing on ice is definitely out there. This is about climbing frozen waterfalls, structures that change from year to year, day to day, and even hour to hour. This revised and greatly expanded second edition of the classic guide to technical ice climbing in the mountains of Colorado by one its top practitioners is now in two volumes. Lavishly illustrated with action photos, route diagrams and maps, it has detailed information on how to prepare, get there and approach the challenge of negotiating some of the greatest vertical ice in the West.
Conservation Across Borders: Biodiversity in an Interdependent World: By Charles C. Chester, Island Press 262 pp. Index. $29.95; A scholarly look at international conservation efforts on the American borders with Canada and Mexico. The book highlights the International Sonoran Desert Alliance based in Ajo, Arizona, and Mexico's Pinacate Biosphere Reserve. A wealth of useful information and enlightening analysis, it will be a standard reference for years to come. It also discusses the Y2Y project linking wildlife corridors from Yellowstone to the Yukon. Chester wisely notes, "protecting life on Earth will ultimately require an international approach." [Bill Broyles]
Cook West (series): Various Authors Rio Nuevo Publishers pp. 6.5" x 8 .75" This is a series of cookbooks Citrus Essentials by Marilyn Noble Cilantro Secrets by Gwyneth Doland Chile Aphrodisia by Amy Reiley . $12.95; Here is a trio of taste treats for every southwestern kitchen. Chile Aphrodisia demonstrates that there are uncounted ways to prepare the hundreds of varieties of chiles, and offers tidbits of little-known chile lore: chiles have, for centuries, been a curative for many ailments, as well as an aphrodisiac for water fleas! The Brie Apple Quesadilla is the winner here. From Cilantro Secrets we learn that cilantro traveled from the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon to New Mexico, and we should all be grateful it made the trip: is there a good salsa without it? Try Cilantro Corn Bread for a yum-in-tum experience. The earliest reference to citrus has been traced to 2200 B.C. and the Chinese Emperor, Ta Yu. Now citrus is enjoyed the world over, and Citrus Essentials tempts and tantalizes with treats that use lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines. A favorite is Seared Scallops with Jalapeno Lime Aioli. Three books in the series--Cilantro Secrets, by Gwyenth Doland, Citrus Essentials, by Marilyn Noble, and Chile Aphrodisia, by Amy Reiley--are reviewed here. A fourth volume in the series, The Elegant Olive, by Teresa Kennedy, was also published in 2006 [Patricia Etter]
Cooking with Cafe Pasqual's: Recipes from Santa Fe's Renowned Corner Cafe: By Katharine Kagel Ten Speed Press 157 pp. Index.10 1/4" X 10 1/4". $29.95; Located in an historic adobe in Santa Fe, this award-winning restaurant has been cooking up its own version of southwestern cuisine for more than 25 years. Like a holiday party, this delightful cookbook is full of warmth, good food, tradition, and friendly faces. Enticing recipes from around the world, photos that tempt and motivate, pictures of the loyal staff at work, good background information, and instructions that are clear and easy to follow make this a winner. [Sharon Gilbert]
Corridos in Migrant Memory: By Martha I. Chew Sanchez, University of New Mexico Press 228 pp. Index. $29.95; A Mexican traditional music form akin to ballads, corridos tell of natural, cultural and political events and serve as both a means of reporting and of remembering them. This book publishes the results of an academic study of the role of such songs in shaping the collective cultural memories and identities of Latino migrants to the U.S.
Cowboy Poetry, Tall Tails from the Lazy O: By Ken Whitecotton Cowboy Miner Productions 160 pp. $16.95; Cowboy poetry by a retired employee of the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Not seen by panelists.
Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean, The (Fiction): Illustrated by Laura Rankin Bloomsbury USA Children's Books 80 pp. 5 1/4" x 7 5/8" paper-over-board chapter book. $9.95; Harriet Bean's adventuresome aunts take her west to visit yet another aunt on her ranch, where the weather is hot and the countryside is full of cacti, rattlesnakes and cattle rustlers. The intrepid Harriet triumphs, naturally, with the help of her amazingly talented aunts. This book belongs to the "Harriet Bean" series by Alexander McCall Smith, better known for his adult fiction. It was originallypublished in 1993; this is the first U.S. edition, with new illustrations. Ages 5-9
Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began: Story by Emmett Garcia, illustrations by Victoria Pringle University of New Mexico Press 32 pp. 8.9" x 10.1". All ages. $17.95; Poor coyote! He has a nose for trouble, and the evidence of his misbehavior apparent for all the world to see. Coyote figures prominently in the Native American trickster tale, a time-honored way of interpreting the natural world, and he's a very naughty presence in this playful retelling of a Santa Ana Pueblo legend. It was nothing less than Coyote's disobedience that resulted in the creation of the constellations, a tidy explanation to satisfy child-sized curiosity about the starry night sky. The illustrations are reminiscent of Eric Carle's collage effect, and children will delight in naming all the animals depicted. [Helene Woodhams]
Crossing the Rio Grande: An Immigrant's Life in the 1880s: By Luis G. Gomez ; translated and with commentary by Guadalupe Valdez Jr.; edited by Guadalupe Valdez, Jr. and Thomas H. Kreneck Texas A&M University Press 106 pp. Index. $23.00; Luis G. Gomez, part Yaqui Indian, and born in Nueva Leon, Mexico, decided to leave the political turmoil then rampant in Mexico for opportunity in Texas. So he crossed the Rio Grande at Matamoros on a ferry boat in 1884, and from there proceeded to make a new life for himelf. He had a basic education from a colegio in that city and thus was prpeared to meet any challenge confronting him, whether it be manual labor or bookkeeping. The little book is a translation of a booklet, which he published for his children in 1935. His record provides a rare documentation of the lives of Mexican immigrants in Texas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Curse of the ChupaCabra (Fiction): By Rudolfo Anaya, University of New Mexico Press 168 pp. $19.95; The popular award-winning author creates an action-packed allegory based on Mexican folklore with a powerful message for young people and their families: Si se puede--you can say no to the drug culture and keep the monsters out of your life.
D is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet: By Michael Shoulders and Debbie Shoulders, illustrated by Irving Toddy Sleeping Bear Press 40 pp. 10.3" x 11.2". Kindergarten-grade 4. $16.95; An alphabet book is at best a challenging format in which to present subject matter that extends far beyond basic words and concepts. The husband and wife team of educators Debbie and Michael Shoulders ably meet the challenge in this introduction to the 500+ tribes of indigenous North Americans. Details about Indian customs and culture, guaranteed to fascinate young readers, are presented in rhyme, while sidebars deliver supporting information for the adult reading with the child. Masterful paintings by award-winning Arizona artist Irving Toddy lavishly illustrate this fine book. [Helene Woodhams]
D.H. Lawrence in New Mexico: "The Time is Different There": By Arthur J. Bachrach, University of New Mexico Press 120 pp. Index. $15.95; The well-known author spent three 6-month visits to Taos during 1922-25. After researching these, Taos resident, Arthur J. Bachrach, relates many tales of Lawrence’s time there.
Dark Side of the Moon, The (Fiction): By J. Carson Black, Signet 371 pp. $7.99; The murder of a college couple at a campground outside Williams sends Detective Laura Cardinal on an investigation across northern Arizona and south to Tucson and Rocky Point. Trails lead to eco-terrorism, pedophilia, munchausen by proxy, and Laura's own dark emotional secrets. The multiple plot lines make for an engrossing story, although inattentive readers may have refresh their memories when the killer is ultimately revealed.
Dead Wrong (Fiction): By Judith A. Jance, William Morrow 362 pp. $25.95; Sheriff Joanna Brady is pregnant, very pregnant. That does not stop her one bit as she tries to solve an ugly crime that has a link back a few generations. She drives in hot pursuit of a criminal, proves she is a crack shot, is out all hours of the day and night, then solves the crime just in time to give birth to her son. All the while, her loving husband supports her in her endeavors and has the meals hot and ready. One wonders if Jance uses the two characters to paint what a perfect marriage could be like. [Patricia Etter]; As if the ninth month and counting of her pregnancy weren't enough, it's just one thing after another at the office for Joanna Brady, Sheriff of Cochise County. A passing motorist discovers a body along the border road, wrapped up in a tarp, and missing every finger. Then her only remaining Animal Control Officer disappears while investigating a dog fight ring in which some very bad people are implicated. Not only that, but the in-laws arrive unannounced to "help" and clearly plan to stay for the duration. Three involved plots, a wide-ranging cast of characters, and continual action make this one of Jance's better ones. [Sharon Gilbert]
Deadman's Poker (Fiction): By James Swain, Ballantine Books 358 pp. paperback novel. $6.99; Tony is a retired New Jersey vice cop who knows all the scams. Now a private consultant to the gambling industry, he's hired to investigate a rumored plot to subvert the world's biggest poker tournament, coming up in Las Vegas. It turns out that his son, and partner, is kind of occupied but will be in the same place, with a group of his shady friends who are also trying to scam the tournament. However, once in Vegas, they find that there are many there with similar ambitions, some of them in deadly earnest. Complete with a glossary and appendix of poker tips, this is an interesting and light-hearted look at the dark side of poker and gambling.
Death in the Desert (Fiction): By Francine P. Biere Whooodoo Mysteries 411 pp. $14.99; A journalist returns to her southern Arizona home to escape the horror of September 11, only to encounter a frightening situation of a different sort. Not seen by panelists.
Deer of the Southwest: A Complete Guide to the Natural History, Biology, and Management of Southwestern Mule Deer and White-Tailed Deer.: By Jim Heffelfinger Texas A&M University Press 282 pp. Index.9 1/2" X 6 1/2" Flexbound with flaps. $24.95; For years if we had a serious question about deer in the Southwest we'd call Jim Heffelfinger, a wildlife biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Now we don't need to call--his book has arrived. Deer of the Southwest is a clear, readable, fascinating, and authoritative "guide to the natural history, biology, and management" of mule and white-tailed deer. It incorporates a truckload of studies, reports, and observations with the latest research, some of it Jim's own. Even the deer could learn something from this well-done book. [Bill Broyles]
Defying the Inquisition in Colonial New Mexico: Miguel de Quintana's Life and Writings: Edited and translated by Francisco A. Lomeli and Clark H. Colahan University of New Mexico Press 218 pp. Index. $39.95; Miguel de Quintana has been called “The Mad Poet of Santa Cruz” [New Mexico], but until recently his poems and writings were hidden in archives, put there by Inquisitors who sought to silence his alleged heretical words. However, in one of the ironies of fate, the Inquisitors unwittingly preserved them so they can be heard today. If you already are steeped in church history of eighteenth century New Mexico, you can step right into the flow of this text. The book is divided into three sections: a biography de Quintana, a translation of his writings into English, and the Spanish version of his writings. This scholarship is another contribution to Chicano literature.
Desert Cities: The Environmental History of Phoenix and Tucson: By Michael F. Logan, University of Pittsburgh Press 228 pp. Index. $29.95; An examination of the environmental factors that have impacted on the development of the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. Although both cities began as agricultural centers boasting similar resources, their growth as urban areas has been very unbalanced because of environmental, cultural, and political reasons.
Desert Light: A Photographer's Journey Through America's Desert Southwest: By John Annerino The Countryman's Press 126 pp. $29.95; Just when you think you've seen every possible photo of every southwestern place, John Annerino brings us a delightfully fresh look. Willing to escape the beaten paths and comfortable camps, Annerino shows each location literally from a new angle and in a new light. He totes his camera to Bisti Badlands, Monument Valley, the summit of Picacho del Diablo, the shores of the Sea of Cortez, Mazatzal Wilderness, the depths of the Grand Canyon, and vivid points in between. Desert Light evokes the mysteries and beauties that are the Southwest, blending art, humanity and adventure. This book says "Southwest." [Bill Broyles]
Desert Originality: Reflections of Tucson: By Tucson Newspapers Inc., Pediment Publishing 224 pp. Index. $39.95; This is a photographic tour of Tucson, past and present, with photos taken by Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen photographers, plus contributions from readers. From the dazzling beauty of the desert to poignant defining moments, from common pleasures to big news, this impressive coffee table volume is everything you might expect from the biggest treasure trove of photographs in town – and more. There are sights and insights of people and places and things around town, community happenings and memorable experiences, images that evoke the joys and sorrows, beauty and wonder of life in Tucson. It turned out so well that it makes you wonder why they don’t do this more often.
Desert Run: A Lena Jones Mystery (Fiction): By Betty Webb, Poisoned Pen Press 346 pp. $24.95; The bludgeoning death of a former German POW during the filming of a documentary about the Christmas Eve, 1944, Papago Park prison sends Scottsdale private investigator Lena Jones in search of the murderer and clues to the brutal killing of an area family sixty years earlier. Past and present comfortably rub elbows in this satisfying mystery.
Desert Southwest, The: Four Thousand Years of Life and Art: By Allan and Carol Hayes ; photographs by John Blom Ten Speed Press 200 pp. Index.10 3/4" X 9 1/2". $24.95; Romp through 4,000 years of Southwest history and art. The book is a happy celebration of native crafts, western jewelry, cowboy art, tourist gifts, and historic doodads. Its diversity and array gathers art far beyond what we'd ever be able to hang on our own walls, stuff in our own closets, or view in a dozen museums. The text is light, entertaining, and subtly educational. The photos are fun and nostalgic. It has deeper currents and soul than one might first expect. The book is an invigorating afternoon well spent. [Bill Broyles]
Diabetes Among the Pima: By Carolyn Smith-Morris University of Arizona Press 248 pp. Index. $45.00; Diabetes runs epidemic among Pima Indians (Akimel O’odham) in an enormous health crisis. Why? Who? What can be done? Is there progress in the battle? Is there hope? This book will tell you.
Dining with the Desert Museum: Favorite Recipes from the Arizona- Sonora Desert Museum: By , Arizona -Sonora Desert Museum Press 355 pp. Spiral binding. $24.95; Four of the most loveable creatures of the desert -- baby prairie dogs munching on grass -- march across the cover of this finely published cook book, inviting one to take a look inside (there are no prairie dog recipes). Staff, docents, and volunteers supplied the recipes, which are neatly divided, as one would expect, into specific areas from appetizers to desserts. Artwork includes both sketches and paintings. Included as part of the design are snippets of information about food and interesting notes about the animals' diet. It is beautifully designed and put together and would make a great gift.
Dirt, Water, Stone: A Century of Preserving Mesa Verde: By Kathleen Fiero, Durango Herald Small Press 210 pp. $15.95; A volume of the seven-part Mesa Verde Centennial Series.
Distant Bugles, Distant Drums: The Union Response to the Confederate Invasion of New Mexico: By Flint Whitlock, University Press of Colorado 293 pp. Index. $29.95; A dramatic, detailed, and well-illustrated account of the pivotal role of the Colorado volunteers in saving the Southwest for the Union during the Civil War.
Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend: By Gary L. Roberts, John Wiley & Sons 528 pp. Index. $30.00; Serious fans of western non-fiction, novels and movies may think they know about as much as there is to know concerning the consumptive John Henry Holliday. Certainly much is known. After all, there have been a huge number of books, articles and movies about Tombstone, the Earps and such, and not all of them have been total fabrications! Roberts, however, really has read all the literature and "been over the ground" with the result that we now can be certain of the facts and knowing about the fiction. This biography should stand for decades, possibly as long as anyone cares about the OK Corral, as the definitive work on Doc. That is, at least, until some now-hidden treasure trove of new information is unearthed. [W. David Laird]; A border overrun with illegal activity. Enraged local citizens demanding action. Greatly outnumbered lawmen hamstrung with limited resources, inept bureaucracies, interagency rivalries, and ill-informed, politically expedient decisions from higher up. Sound familiar? It's back to the future in southern Arizona 125 years ago. Not only does this thoroughly researched comprehensive biography by prominent western historian Gary Roberts reveal much more of the reality of this mysterious western icon, it also greatly clarifies what the famous shootout in Tombstone was all about, with details of what led up to it and the surprising events that followed [Sharon Gilbert]; Roberts draws on decades of meticulous research in this definitive biography of the consumptive Georgia dentist who strode into history and legend with the Earp brothers at the OK. Corral gunfight. Not the least of Roberts's accomplishments are the insights he brings to Holliday's familial and cultural background and his thoughtful dissection of the Holliday legend. Doc Holliday will stand the test of time alongside Casey Tefertiller's Wyatt Earp: The Man Behind the Legend. [Bruce Dinges]
Doctor Wore Petticoats, The: Women Physicians of the Old West: By Chris Enss, Twodot 125 pp. $12.95; In the mid- to late-nineteenth century there were fewer than 600 female doctors in the United States, and these hardy few faced nearly universal public disapproval as well as the criticism of their indignant male colleagues. Grit and determination were as essential to any female physician as her medical training, and even more necessary to those who braved the uncertainties of life on the frontier. This volume relates the experiences of a dozen of these medical women. All of their stories are interesting, but not all of them took place in the Southwest. [Helene Woodhams]
Earth Notes: Exploring the Southwest's Canyon Country from the Airwaves.: By Peter, editor Friederici, Grand Canyon Association pp. $6.95; Peter Radio listeners in the Four Corners region will recognize the voices in these 29 brief essays about living more gently on the land, appreciating the human and animal residents, and "living with an eye to the future." Contributors include Gary Nabhan, Peter Friederici, Richard Mahler, Rose Houk, and Anne Minard.
Edge of Evil (Fiction): By Judith A. Jance, Avon Books 390 pp. $7.99; Jance, author of the bestselling Joanna Brady and JP Beaumont mysteries, introduces an appealing new heroine. Fired from her TV anchor job and discovering her husband's infidelity, Alison ("Ali") Reynolds leaves LA with her college-age son to unravel the mysterious death of a childhood friend in Sedona. As a bonus, readers learn a great deal about ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), gender and age discrimination, spousal abuse, gun control, and even blogging.; JA Jance has a new heroine and locale with good potential. Ali is smart, compassionate, feisty and faced with some big challenges: she is unfairly (and illegally) fired from her job as a top LA newscaster, she discovers that her husband is involved with another woman, and her best friend has mysteriously disappeared. The small town, multigenerational community Jance creates in Sedona and the cast of characters that parade through Ali's parent's cafe provide a warm contrast to the self-serving world that drives Ali from LA. The exploration of blogging as a significant story device is another interesting touch. The plot resolution, however, is a stretch. Jance fans will want to give this one a try.; Set mostly in northern Arizona as TV journalist Alison Reynolds returns home at the news that her best friend has been diagnosed with ALS and is now missing, while her parents' cafe is in trouble and needs her help. Fortunately Ali has just been fired from her LA job so she scuttles off to help. A klunky plot, as well as much dialog and motivation that are hard to accept, make this one you can skip unless you are on an airplane with nothing else to read.
Elegant Olive, The: Cook West Series Rio Nuevo Publishers 80 pp. Index. $12.95; An offering in the Cook West series. (Other titles in this series published in 2006 are Citrus Essentials, Cilantro Secrets and Chile Aphrodisia.)
Encyclopedia of Murder & Execution in the Wild West: By R. Michael Wilson Stagecoach Books 641 pp. Index. $27.95; There were 252 legal executions in the Wild West (an area of the territorial United States comprised of the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming as well as Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona) during the territorial period. This volume organizes the executions by state and date and offers exhaustively detailed accounts of each one.
Environmental Change and Human Adaptation in the Ancient American Southwest: By Davide E. Doyel and Jeffrey S. Dean University of Utah Press 344 pp. Index. $45.00; Landscapes affect people, and people affect landscapes. Ecology meets anthropology. This book chronicles and discusses the effects of droughts, floods, and climate variations on American Indians living in the Southwest for the past two millennia. Some of the changes profoundly altered societies, technologies, politics, and even the fate of entire cultures. This collection of 13 essays illuminates "the general processes that drive human behavioral responses to environmental stability, variation, and change." The essays are well documented, clearly written, and reflective. Modern people living in the Southwest will see parallels with today’s environmental issues in this excellent discussion. [Bill Broyles]
Escalante: The Best Kind of Nothing: Text by Brooke Williams, Photographs by Chris Noble University of Arizona Press 77 pp. $14.95; Environmentalist Williams, who happens to be the husband of writer Terry Tempest Williams, pens an elegant rumination on the importance of "nothingness" to shaping the human spirit in his very personal reflection on the southern Utah canyonland. Noble's sharp black-and-white photographs portray rock, water, and sky in this worthwhile contribution to the University of Arizona Press's "Desert Places Series."; It is hard to believe that wind and water carved out the incredible landscape known as the Escalante Region on the Colorado Plateau. Here is one more Southwestern place that creeps into one's soul. Photographs can barely do it justice, it has to be seen.
Explorers in Eden: Pueblo Indians and the Promised Land: By Jerold S. Auerbach, University of New Mexico Press 205 pp. Index. $34.95; The author presents the reader with an interesting concept as he writes about early anthropologists, writers, and photographers working in or visiting the southwestern pueblos. He described it as an "edenic paradise" the biblical homeland of America, a place where the puebloans lived in an unspoiled land untouched by modern man. It all began with Frank Hamilton Cushing, who steeped himself in Zuni culture, and whose writings captured the imagination of others. He was followed by Frank Boaz's femininst scholars who further perpetuated the romantic myth of unspoiled culture. Include the likes of Charles Lummis, Mable Dodge Luhan, photographers like Vroman and Curtis, painters like William Henry Jackson, then add the railroad and Fred Harvey to the prestigious list to challenge the imagination, thus the tourists and the curious helped change this mythic paradise forever. [Patricia Etter]
Family Home of the New West: By Eliza Casteneda, Northland Publishing 136 pp. 10" x 10" pb. $21.95; A fine photo tour of upscale homes and gardens, primarily in the mountain regions of the West, this book highlights interior design.
Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona, A: By Thomas C. Brennan and Andrew T. Holycross Arizona Game and Fish Department 150 pp. Index. $12.00; This is a very handy, accurate, useful guide to Arizona frogs, toads, turtles, snakes, lizards, and salamanders. Clear, accurate text with maps of each species' range. The photos are exceptional. Species are keyed, and their ranges, habitats, and habits are described. The volume is worth carrying in a backpack or on a dash board. Valuable for beginners and experts, natives and newcomers alike. It's one of the most helpful guides around and belongs in every home library. It's a fitting companion to Lazaroff and Rosen’s excellent Reptiles of Sabino Canyon. [Bill Broyles]
Finding Butterflies in Texas: By Roland H. Wauer, Johnson Books 327 pp. Index. $22.50; Tired of watching birds? Try butterflies. This book will guide you to 76 sites within 10 regions across the broad expanse of Texas, from shore to forest to mountainside to prairie to city park. Searching for the beauties with names like Sara Orangetip, Melissa Blue, and American Lady sounds like a good way to see the Lone Star state. [Bill Broyles]
Fine Indian Jewelry of the Southwest: The Millicent Rogers Museum Collection: By Shelby Jo-Anne Tisdale, and Addison Doty Museum of New Mexico Press 215 pp. Index. 10" X 10 1/2" cloth. $50.00; Millicent Rogers (1902-1953) was a famous fashion model, clothes designer, and oil heiress who appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bizarre and best-dressed society lists. Then in 1947, she discovered Taos, where she became fascinated with the arts, history and culture of the Native Americans of the Southwest, as well as a passionate advocate for their rights, and recognition and preservation of their cultural heritage. She gathered what was to become one of the most important collections of Native American and Hispanic arts and crafts of the region. This beautifully illustrated book shows a selection from the more than 5,000 pieces of jewelry of the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos.
Fire on the Mesa: By Tracey L. Chavis and William R. Morris Durango Herald Small Press 123 pp. Index. Mesa Verde centennial series. $15.95; A title in the seven-part Mesa Verde Centennial Series.
Flamenco Academy, The: A Novel (Fiction): By Sarah Bird, Knopf 381 pp. $25.00; Set in contemporary Albuquerque, this coming of age novel tells of a girl whose attraction to a handsome and mysterious young Flamenco guitarist leads her and her best friend to the exotic rhythms and spirit of the University of New Mexico's famous Flamenco Academy. The lives of the characters are inseparably woven into the art of flamenco, but they learn much more than that from their flamenco teacher, Dona Carlota, who influences them in soul-changing ways. [Sharon Gilbert]
Fort Bowie, Arizona: Combat Post of the Southwest, 1858-1894.: By Douglas C. McChristian., University of Oklahoma Press. 357 pp. Index. $19.95; Reissue in paperback of the 2005 title we called "A great overview of the Apache Wars in Arizona."
Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona: By Lawrence W. Cheek, and Frank Lloyd Wright Rio Nuevo Publishers 72 pp. 8" X 8". $16.95; Do we really need another book about Frank Lloyd Wright, the premier architect who gave us the birthday-cake structure known as Grady Gammage Auditorium on the campus of Arizona State University? Yes, since it is a small book, reasonably priced, and available for those curious about Wright without wanting many pages of architectural detail. It does tell how the auditorium was designed for Baghdad and transplanted to ASU after Baghdad's king was assassinated.; The legendary architect first came to Arizona in 1928 as a consultant in the design and construction of the Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix. He was so taken with the natural beauty of the region that he later made his regional headquarters there and created many of his most popular designs for Arizona and the Southwest. This beautifully illustrated volume by well-known Arizona architectural critic Lawrence Cheek, tells a fascinating story with fine insight into a complex, creative man whose love and respect for nature made him one of America’s favorite architectural icons.
Frank Springer and New Mexico: From the Colfax County War to the Emergence of Modern Santa Fe: By David L. Caffey, Texas A&M University Press 261 pp. Index. $34.95; A solidly researched biography of the Maxwell Land Grant Company attorney and businessman who helped solidify Anglo-American economic and political control of northern New Mexico, advanced scientific studies and higher education, and promoted civic improvements, particularly the School of American Archaeology (now the School of American Research) and the Museum of New Mexico, in the early twentieth century.
Freeze Me, Tender (Fiction): By Michael A Black, Five Star 346 pp. $25.95; In the opening chapter of this novel, set mostly in Las Vegas, Nevada, T.J. Big Daddy Babcock is murdered, but it looks like a suicide. Big Daddy discovered and promoted to mega-stardom the southern singer Colton Purcell (are you thinking Elvis?) but controlled most of his income and, when Purcell died young, had him cryogenically frozen. Now it's the 10th anniversary of Purcell's death and there are Purcell wannabes coming out of the woodwork. Is it possible he never died and one of them is the real McCoy? Although this is Black's 4th published novel, he still has a long way to go, as this one has writing and a plot that both need work.; A Chicago reporter investigates the death of a friend and mentor in Las Vegas, following a trail that leads to a deceased music star who is cryogenically frozen there. Written by a veteran Chicago policeman, this is a satirical crime story on a theme that sounds a lot like Elvis Presley.
Frequently Asked Questions About Western Sand Dunes: By Rose Houk, Western National Parks Association 18 pp. 8 3/4" X 11". $4.95; Very nicely illustrated with great photos and diagrams, this is one of the best concise overviews of sand dunes in the West for popular audiences that we have seen. A real gem about one of the West's major icons. This is representative of the excellent series of concise, informative guides published by the Western National Parks Association that helps connect us to the wonders of our National Park system. [Sharon Gilbert]
Freshwater Fishes of Mexico: By Robert Rush Miller, University of Chicago Press 490 pp. Index. $75.00; This is the first encyclopedia of Mexico's inland fishes. It is authoritative and comprehensive, but as would be expected, relatively few of the species are from the arid Southwest. It does cover the Río Colorado and Río Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) drainages, as well as other borderland waters. Each species is accompanied by a map of its range, a photo, and remarks on its populations and habitat. Of interest to general readers as well as required reading for professionals. Miller was the central author, but many people contributed to the final volume. This first clear and complete picture is now the standard reference and should inspire generations of ichthyologists. Numerous photos and maps. Thorough bibliography. [Bill Broyles]
Frog Brings Rain/Chal To Yinilo (Fiction): By Patricia Hruby. Illustrated by Kendrick Benally. Navajo translation by Peter A. Thomas Salina Bookshelf 32 pp. 11" X 9 1/2". Bilingual text, Navajo and English. $17.95; In this retelling of a Navajo folktale about a time when the world was new, the First People are threatened by wildfire and must turn to the creatures of the land and sky to save them. This is bilingual tale (Navajo and English) is colorfully told and vibrantly illustrated: the rendering of the frog is a real treat. Ages 4-8
From Bjare to Bisbee: An Immigrant's Tale (Fiction): By Wes Patience ATG Publications 363 pp. $18.00; A multi-generational family account that begins in Sweden in 1880 and continues to Bisbee in the 1940s. Not seen by panelists.
From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame.: By Mark Monmonier, University of Chicago Press 215 pp. Index. $25; This book about maps covers a number of place-name controversies, including the renaming of Arizona's Squaw Peak as Piestewa Peak. Other Southwestern toponyms such as Squaw Tit Peak, are mentioned as examples of place-names that have become fighting words for ethnic, religious, or political reasons. Most of the discussions and examples in this fun and informative book reach far beyond the Southwest. Monmonier is a geography professor from Syracuse who apparently loves poring over maps as much as we do. [Bill Broyles]
Frontier Crossroads: Fort Davis and the West: By Robert Wooster, Texas A&M University Press 210 pp. Index. $24.95; This meticulously researched and well-written history describes the important military post in the Big Bend country of West Texas in the context of cultural conflict, accommodation, and national expansion. Historians and general readers will benefit from Wooster's masterful portrait of the frontier army through the prism of a colorful army outpost and the soldiers and civilians who occupied it.
Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah: By Richard L. Orndorff, Robert W. Wieder, and David G. Futey Mountain Press Publishing 286 pp. Index.6" x 9". $18.00; One of the most spectacular and beautiful exhibitions of naked geology on the planet, the whole of southern Utah was once proposed as a national park. Today it features some of the nation’s most popular national parks-- Canyonlands, Arches, Glen Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion-- attracting millions of visitors annually from all over the world. A land so strikingly different, it inspires awe and wonder and questions, lots of questions. What am I looking at? How is this possible? How did this come into being? Combining the authors' backgrounds in geology, paleontology, biology and photography, this exceptional guidebook helps us see this land for what it is, understand it better and enjoy it much more. Very well written and well-illustrated, it takes us on a fascinating tour of the many wondrous geological high points of southern Utah. For those planning a trip there, this is one of the best guides for popular audiences available. [Sharon Gilbert]
Geronimo and Cochise: By John Garmon, Professional Press 112 pp. $9.95; Garmon acknowledges his debt to historical sources by listing eight well-known non-fiction works about Apaches and provides interpretations. He sees not just the two leaders in his title, but also Nana, Ulzana, Mangas Coloradas, and the land where their exploits are still remembered. Rough poetry, I’d call it; a bit like the frontier people and times it sheds light upon. [W. David Laird]
Geronimo: A Biography: By Mark L. Gardner and Derek Gallagher Western National Parks Assoc. 48 pp. $7.95; This short biography of Geronimo, the famous Apache chief, is punctuated by beautiful color photos of his homeland, Apachería. Historic photos give some sense of the man. The text is a quick, sympathetic look at this Southwest symbol.; This slender volume provides a well-written summary history; one that Sgt. Joe Friday would have described as "Just the facts, Maam." Gardner has steered clear of the many controversies surrounding the life of this most-famous of all Apaches, giving "new readers" a place to begin.
Geronimo: Apache Warrior: By Brenda Haugen Compass Point Books 112 pp. Index.cloth, 9.25" x 6." Includes notes, glossary, timeline and web resources. Ages 9-12. $30.60; When the settlers pushed west Geronimo pushed back, trying to protect a way of life even while it was vanishing before his eyes. He remains a pivotal figure in any classroom discussion about the Native American experience in the Southwest. This volume relates his story in a highly readable fashion, and is liberally detailed with illustrations, photos, maps, original broadsides and lift-outs that summarize the narrative--a boon for those book report assignments. There's also a timeline that places Geronimo's life in the context of world events, a glossary and suggestions for further research that include museums to contact as well as books and websites. Even kids who hate the annual biography assignment will appreciate this fine book. [Helene Woodhams]
Girl From Charnelle, The (Fiction): By K. L. Cook William Morrow 371 pp. $24.95; Cook--who teaches creative writing at Prescott College--has written a pitch-perfect coming-of-age novel set in a small Texas Panhandle town during the waning days of the Eisenhower administration. A sixteen-year-old girl, haunted by her mother's inexplicable disappearance, begins an affair with a married man twice her age. With remarkable insight and sensibility, Cook lays bare the cords of love and loss, yearning and redemption, that surround the human heart. This is a spellbinding read. [Bruce Dinges]
Good Works of Ayela Linde, The (Fiction): By Charlotte Forbes Arcade Publishing 227 pp. $24.00
Grand Canyon: Little Things in a Big Place: Text by Ann Zwinger, photographs by Michael Collier University of Arizona Press 79 pp. $14.95; Zwinger has been on many of my best-books-of-the-year lists over the decades! Although this volume is a slender offering, really an extended essay (with excellent photographic additions by Collier), her ability to write detailed, first-hand descriptions with the eloquence of fine literature makes for a reading experience the equal of any volume of natural history, no matter the size. [W. David Laird]
Guide to American Indian Folk Art of the Southwest, A: By Susan Lamb, Western National Parks Association 47 pp. 4 1/2" X 6 1/4". $4.95; The tiny book is meant for sale in National Parks and Monuments Book stores, and offers the briefest of introductions to collecting folk art produced by Native people of the Southwest. Photographs illustrate individual creativity, whether the work uses wood, mud, clay, baling wire, beads, cloth, and even horsehair. It definitely tempts an individual to begin collecting some of the delightful productions. Each artist is credited.
Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol: By Katherine Norgard, Recovery Resources Press 184 pp. $14.95; The jacket painting of a figure running through a maze captures the heart of a psychologist and anti-death penalty advocate's memoir of her experience with the criminal justice system following her stepson's sentencing in the 1989 murders of an elderly Tucson couple. Norgard's late discovery that her stepson probably suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome adds to the poignancy of her story. Dead Man Walking author Sister Helen Prejean contributes a foreword.
Harvey Girl (Fiction): By Sheila Wood Foard, Texas Tech University Press 152 pp. $16.95; In this young-adult novel, a fourteen-year-old runaway from the Missouri Osarksin the 1920s finds employment and independence as a waitress at the Atchison,Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway's Belen, New Mexico, Harvey House Restaurant. The author, a docent at the Harvey House Museum, has an appealing knack for dialogue. Historic photographs and a selected bibliography are appended.; Foard works hard to include in her first-person narrative told by Clara Massie as much detail as possible of what it was like to be a Harvey Girl, one of Fred Harvey's waitresses at a chain of Harvey House restaurants that numbered nearly 100 at its peak and which served elegant but fast food to travelers on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Clara is only 14 when she talks her way into a Harvey Girl uniform, and she is tossed out of her job at the Belen, New Mexico, HH when a co-worker, a thief, reveals her true age (one had to be 18 to be a Harvey Girl). Foard, a journalist, could use some help with dialog, but her storyline makes comfortable, if not exciting, reading. She adds, at the end of the novelette, some photos and facts about the real thing.
He Usually Lived With a Female: the Story of California Newspaperman Charles Harris (Brick) Garrigues: By George Garrigues Quail Creek Press 558 pp. Index. $24.00; The story of California newspaperman Charles Harris (Brick) Garrigues, as told by his son.
Healing With Herbs and Rituals: A Mexican Tradition: by Eliseo Torres, edited by Timothy L. Sawyer, Jr. University of New Mexico Press 168 pp. Index. $17.95; This offering from the University of New Mexico Press is an interesting introduction for popular audiences to Mexican-American folk healing traditions of curanderos. Still widespread in the Southwest today, it is a practice with roots going back to Aztec, Spanish, Moorish and Judeo-Christian cultures that involves the use of medicinal plants, rituals and practical advice. The book has extended discussions of representative curanderos, the ailments they typically treat and the herbal remedies they employ.
Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest: A Guide to the Medicinal and Edible Plants of the Southwestern United States: By Charles W. Kane, Lincoln Town Press 307 pp. Index.Cover subtitle: A Guide to the Identification, Collection, Preparation, and Use of Medicinal and Edible Plants of the Southwestern United States. $29.95; Written by a practicing herbalist, this guide to the use of regional plants for health and healing covers over 200 plants, from acacia to yucca, with more than 100 detailed profiles, over 250 color photos and 80 paintings.
Hey Diddle Diddle (Fiction): By Theresa Howell, illustrated by Liz Conrad Rising Moon 14 pp. Board Book. Ages 0-4. $5.95; Theresa Howell has flavored a familiar nursery rhyme with some southwestern seasoning and serves it up with colorful and very clever illustrations by Liz Conrad. The result is a tasty little book perfect for the very youngest desert-dwellers, who will enjoy having a nursery rhyme with a familiar landscape. Parents, too, will be charmed by how appropriately this rollicking retelling assigns traditional roles to a whole new set of animals, from coyote (who howls at the moon rather than jump over it) to pack rat, who runs away with the shiny spoon, and everything else, in true pack rat-fashion. This sturdy board book is a must for every baby's southwestern library. [Helene Woodhams]
Hiking the Grand Canyon: By John Annerino Sierra Club Books 332 pp. Index.4 1/2" X 6 1/4" "tote-along" size. $16.95; This is the revised and updated third edition of John Annerino’s classic guide from Sierra Club Books in a handy 4 x 6 inch take-along size. A former cross country running star in Tucson, John went on to explore the deserts of the Southwest and become an award-winning photographer and author. He has personally covered all of these trails and knows his stuff. It’s comprehensive, knowledgeable and well written – a must for anyone planning to hike in the Grand Canyon. [Sharon Gilbert]
History Is in the Land: Multivocal Tribal Traditions in Arizona's San Pedro Valley: By T.J. Ferguson and Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh University of Arizona Press 316 pp. Index. $60.00 cloth $35.00 pbk; American Indians have long criticized archaeologists for digging up sites and removing sacred objects to museums as curiosities, from their point of view. Here, Southwestern archaeologists are collaborating with four tribes in a case study involving the San Pedro River Valley, thought to have been a natural corridor through which Native people have traveled for 12,000 years. The Tohono O'odham, Hopi, San Carlos Apache, and the Zuni participated in what may turn out to be a controversial study.; The result of a four-year study involving four southwestern Native American groups (Hopi, Tohono O'odham, Zuni and San Carlos Apache), this thick volume is a worthy attempt to integrate "standard" archaeological/ethnological approaches to interpreting the past with the oral traditions of the respective tribes, but most academically trained ethnologists will find plenty to quibble with, and the statements by native peoples leave much room for interpretation.
History May be Searched in Vain: A Military History of the Mormon Battalion: By Sherman L. Fleek The Arthur H. Clark Company 414 pp. Index. $37.50; Literally hundreds of books, articles, and diaries have been published on the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War. Here we have a book that brings many of those resources together in one readable volume. Though the author approaches his subject as military history it is much more than that. Militarily, however, we learn that the Battalion was a volunteer religious unit in Federal service, the only one in American history recruited and named for a religious body. In addition, the battalion was not involved in any military action. This is a good book for the neophyte, but he/she should be cautioned not to try and follow the trail as shown on the author's map since much of it is on private land and accessible by 4-wheel drive or on horseback. He talks about "modern Cloverdale Springs." The only remnant of the so-called springs is a late 19th century crumbling hut that stores hay. Interested readers can obtain an excellent map of trails from the Oregon-California Trails Association in Independence, MO.
History May Be Searched in Vain: A Military History of the Mormon Battalion: By Sherman L. Fleek, Arthur H. Clark Company 414 pp. Index. $37.50; Fleek brings the perspectives of a Mormon, historian, and retired military officer to his meticulously detailed account of the recruitment, organization, and activities of this unique organization of volunteer soldiers in the Mexican-American War conquest of the Southwest.
Homeward and Other Writings (Fiction): By Harold Davis, Dorrance Publishing 86 pp. $10.00; Mostly sea tales. The final story, "Christmas on the High Mesa" is, by implication, southwestern as it includes Apaches and Piutes, but it's a very amateurish tale and probably not worth the notice that a listing would provide.
Hot Coffee Cold Truth: Living and Writing the West: By W.C. Jameson, University of New Mexico Press 206 pp. $25.95; A volume of essays that examines the influence of the landscape on the writings of a group of western authors, and the relationship of the landscape to their creative output.
House of Plenty: the Rise, Fall, and Revival of Luby's Cafeterias: By Carol Dawson and Carol Johnston University of Texas Press 288 pp. Index. $21.00; Luby's was once the largest cafeteria chain in the country. Eight decades of its rise and fall, successes and scandals are chronicled by a writing team that includes the only child of Luby's cofounder.
Husk of Time: the Photographs of Victor Masayesva: By Victor Masayesva, University of Arizona Press 104 pp. 11" X 9". $40.00 cloth, $24.95 pbk; With word and film renowned Hopi photo artist Victor Masayesva explores the forms and meanings of time. For example, he contends that the moon gives us "neighborly time" and the sun bestows "fatherly time." The prints include digital composites, photogravures, silver prints, and oil on silver prints and represent Indian activities and dreamscapes. The photographer, in his words, "attempts to explore juxtapositions, tensions, ironies, and emotions combined to form my photographic explorations of text into image and image into text." He succeeds in presenting a unique and provocative view of the world. [Bill Broyles]
Husk of Time: The Photographs of Victor Masayesva: By Victor Masayesva, University of Arizona Press 104 pp. 11" X 9". $40.00 cloth, $24.95 pbk; Author and photographer, Victor Masayesva, Jr., is perhaps best known for his feature-length film Imaging Indians. His work is somewhat influenced by his Hopi background in the small village of Hotevilla in Northern Arizona. In the past, we have most often seen the works of white photographers as they try to portray Native people. We are beginning a time when the American Indian wants to control the way their people are photographed by outsders and create their own art. These are not mere photographs, but dramatic visualizations that employ computer animations and graphics resulting in a volume of spectacular images.
Husk of Time: the Photographs of Victor Masayesva: By Victor Masayesva, University of Arizona Press 104 pp. 11" X 9". $40.00 cloth, $24.95 pbk
I Might Just be Right: By John Martin Meek Xlibris Corporation 166 pp. 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4. $20.99 pbk; Essays by a retired journalist, many of which appeared in the Arizona Daily Star under the pen name "John Martin Hill."
Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment: Edited by Linda Gordon and Gary Y. Okihiro W.W. Norton 205 pp. $29.95; In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in ten remote locations scattered mostly around the West, in what were originally called "concentration camps." In an odd twist of fate, Dorothea Lange, one of the greatest photographers of the Golden Age of American photography, famous for her portraits of victims of the Depression, was hired by the U.S. War Relocation Authority to document the process. After her work was completed, it was immediately "impounded" by the U.S. Army. Over sixty years later, two prominent, award-winning historians bring Lange's moving images back into the light and put them into context. As history so often does, it provides a timely reminder of what happens when we forget important lessons of the past: in this case, when a government uses fear and expediency to justify ignoring the laws that distinguish it from those of its presumed enemies. [Sharon Gilbert]
Impulse (Fiction): By Frederick Ramsay, Poisoned Pen Press 245 pp. $24.95; Suspected for the murder of his wife, Arizona mystery writer Frank Smith heads east to his 50th class reunion where he must confront the suicide of his brother 50 years earlier, as well as attempt to unsnarl the mysterious disappearance of four students 25 years earlier. This is author Frederick Ramsay's third outing.
In a Special Light: By Elroy Bode Trinity University Press 200 pp. $24.95; There is an elegiac tone to these short essays in which Bode reflects on his Texas hill country boyhood and his long career as an El Paso high school teacher. "It is just plain old everyday reality," he writes of his subject matter, "but to me reality is always italicized." Readers old and new will be captivated by Bode's ability to extract universal meaning from everyday moments and will especially be moved by the heartwrenching account of his son's suicide. [Bruce Dinges]
Indian Yell: the Heart of an American Insurgency: By Michael Blake, Northland Publishing 170 pp. Index. $21.95; In this handsome, well-illustrated volume, the author of Dances with Wolves reflects on emblematic encounters between the U.S. Army and Native Americans from the 1854 Grattan Massacre to the 1890 Wounded Knee tragedy and challenges modern-day America to live up to its ideals by respecting other cultures. Blake devotes one chapter to the 1861 Bascom Affair and the Apache wars in Arizona.
Inferno: By Charles Bowden, University of Texas Press 176 pp. 10" X 12". $45.00; There are certain words, mostly nouns and adjectives, that force themselves upon the minds of the readers of Bowden's books, words like abrasive, cataclysmic, devastating, obliterating, cathartic, damned, even soul-less. More careful thought produces other words: brilliant, enthralling, magical, sensual, thoughtful, and many, many more. This volume is about love of places, and those places are the southwestern deserts that Bowden walks through, sleeps in, wanders around and describes with such gut-wrenching accuracy that those of us who also love these deserts realize our love cannot rise to these heights nor sink to these depths. We are pikers by comparison. [W. David Laird]; "My dreams now feel cramped." Furiously boiling with imagery, rhythm, and symbols and sound, this book probes and pierces the inflamed ground of the Southwest. It's half lament, half battle cry. Charles Bowden is "in the mood for settling some scores with myself, for moving past the reasons and into the hunger." He explores the geography of self and maps our fears as well as our hopes. Sometimes his glare is too intense, too stark, too libidinous, too personal, too frank for some readers, but many more will praise it for precisely those reasons. Michael Berman's riveting photos range from ironic to scenic, grim to humorous, and intensify Bowden's unforgettable voice raging about the primordial hunger of human nature for its Nature side. [Bill Broyles]; In a book that pushes the boundaries of the senses, Bowden writes in a self-described "white heat" about his personal affair with the seared landscape of what is now the Sonoran Desert National Monument. Michael Berman's black-and-white photographs highlight Bowden's raw portrait of nature that is at once honest and unforgiving. [Bruce Dinges]
Ironwood Forest Mystery (Fiction): By Joseph A. Mootz Living the Dream Publishing 278 pp. $18.95; Fourth in the Johnny Blue mystery series. Not seen by panelists.
Javelinas: Collared Peccaries of the Southwest: By Jane Manaster, Texas Tech University Press 85 pp. $19.95; This Southwest native will not win any beauty contests, since it is described as having "the shape of a pig, hide of a wolf, hackles of a porcupine, smell of a skunk, bark of a dog, and the rattle of a snake." The book is an easy and interesting read for both middle school children and adults, and provides good coverage on the history, habitat, and diet of this shy creature, who lives with its herd, and more often in areas that provide a favorite food, the prickly pear, spines and all.
Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History in the American West: By Jeanne E. Abrams, New York University Press 279 pp. Index. $39.00; The American West offered unprecedented opportunity to pioneer community builders and a level of acceptance for Jewish women that was largely non-existent in the East. This well-researched volume, rich in stories and anecdotes, examines the unique experience of American Jewish women, their contributions to frontier society and their pivotal role in the settlement of the West.; Although this book deals with Jewish pioneer women across the entire West, it does include brief accounts of Sarah Goldwater, grandmother of Arizona senator Barry Goldwater; Rose Reznick Danoff, who traded with the Zuni and Navajo; Therese Marx Ferrin, a nurse and charity patron known as "the Angel of Tucson"; and the Solomon family, after whom Solomonville, Arizona, was named. The woman I’d most like to meet was Florence Prag Kahn, congresswoman from San Francisco, of whom one observer quipped, "You always knew how she was going to vote but only God had the slightest inkling what she was going to say."
Joe Cynik: "Don't Get Me Started" (Fiction): By William M. Petro, AuthorHouse 278 pp. $11.95
Joshua Tree: Desolation Tango: Text by Deanne Stillman, Photographs by Galen Hunt University of Arizona Press 76 pp. 8 1/2" X 10". $$14.95; Journalist Stillman reflects on nature, Republicans, and baseball as she leads readers on a pilgrimage through Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. While acknowledging that desert emptiness may not hold the answers to life's big questions, she nonetheless explains why it provides an important touchstone in the modern world. A volume in the University of Arizona's "Desert Places Series."; The author considers Joshua Tree National Park, California, her own special "place of pilgrimage," and we have her personal story of trips to a region encompased by both the Colorado and Sonoran Deserts. The centerpiece of course, is the Joshua Tree, so named by Mormon travelers. Sparkling photographs show off a unique environment. This is among the Desert Places series whose goal is to promote preservation of delicate desert areas.; Joshua Tree National Park straddles both the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert (sometimes called Colorado Desert in these parts of California). This book takes us to both deserts. The text is at times interesting, at times esoteric and quirky, but worth reading. Hunt’s photos are quite good--one reason I’ll buy the book is to cut out the image of "Hole in rock, dead tree" and tape it to my wall.
Journey to Hopi Land: Look West Series Rio Nuevo Publishers 88 pp. 6 1/2" X 6 1/2". $14.95; The Hopi Cultural Center of Second Mesa, Arizona, was designated an Arizona Treasure By Governor Janet Napolitano in 2005. Its director, Anna Silas, authored this attractive and well-illustrated volume on the land, art and culture of the Hopi people. It is part of the Look West series produced by Rio Nuevo Publishers.
Keeping the Rope Straight: Annie Dodge Wauneka's Life of Service to the Navajo: By Carolyn Niethammer ; edited by Jessie Ruffenach Salina Bookshelf 109 pp. Index. $22.95; Annie Wauneka gained national recognition and a Presidential Medal of Freedom as a result of her devotion to improving the health care and education available to her people in the Navajo Nation. A shorter version of Niethammer's 2004 biography of Wauneka.
Killing of Chester Bartel, The: By Norman K. Hunt, Cowboy Miner Productions 144 pp. $18.00; The author uses court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and family lore to examine the trials and eventual acquittal of his father and uncle for killing a neighboring rancher in the Animas Valley of southwestern New Mexico in 1917. In the process, he throws light on range wars and the criminal justice system in the territorial Southwest. A home-spun chronicle of a feud and murder in 1917 in the Animas Valley of New Mexico. Although all of the suspects and witness are now dead, the author would like to reopen the case and hold new trials. From this material, a skillful screenwriter and a John Ford could make a dramatic western movie. (BB)
Killing of Chester Bartell, The: By Norman K. (Ken) Hunt, Cowboy Miner Productions 144 pp. $18.00 paper; The author uses court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and family lore to examine the trials and eventual acquittal of his father and uncle for killing a neighboring rancher in the Animas Valley of southwestern New Mexico in 1917. In the process, he throws light on range wars and the criminal justice system in the territorial Southwest.
King (Fiction): By Pamela Christie, Lone Butte Press 345 pp. $14.95
King Tiger: The Religious Vision of Reies Lopez Tijerina: By Rudy V. Busto, University of New Mexico Press 260 pp. Index. $29.95; The origins of the political ideas of Reies Lopez Tijerina, leader of the grassroots land rights organization Alianza Federal de Mercedes Reales. Of particular interest is the author's examination of how Tijerina's mystical visions spurred him to lead the fight to restore New Mexican land to those who lost it during 19th century land grant title conflicts.
King’s Lizard, The: A Tale of Murder and Deception in Old Santa Fe (Fiction): By Pamela Christie, Lone Butte Press 345 pp. $14.95; This unusual historical mystery is set in Santa Fe (New Mexico) in 1782. People are being murdered on the streets in broad daylight, marauding Europeans are looting and pillaging the countryside, the surrounding Apache, Comanche and Pueblo peoples are massing to put a stop to it. The authorities are baffled about who is causing all this trouble and the small isolated colony, virtually forgotten by the far distant capital in Mexico City, is on the verge of collapse. Fernando, the young illegitimate son of a deceased landowner and his Native American concubine, flees the city to avoid being impressed by the military into service to fight the Indians, but finds himself drawn even further into the maelstrom. A plucky and engaging protagonist, interesting characters, a good plot, and a focus on the people of this exotic time and location make for an interesting and satisfying novel.
Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder: By Kenn Kaufman, Houghton Mifflin 320 pp. $14.00; He became fascinated with birds at the age of six. At sixteen, he took a sabbatical from high school and, with his parents’ permission, set out on a birding quest around the U.S. This is the story of the amazing odyssey, which became a transformative experience for him. Today, Kenn Kaufman is one of the top recognized authorities on birds in the world, the author of many popular and respected books and the editor of a series of field guides of the natural world. Interestingly, Tucson figured prominently in his quest because of the large variety of birds in Southern Arizona, and he later moved here for that reason. Kaufman succeeds brilliantly in expressing the magic and wonder of exploring nature with the help of our feathered friends. For anyone interested in birds, this is a fun and very satisfying read. [Sharon Gilbert]; Master birder and field guide author Kenn Kaufmann recounts his furious year spent filling blanks in his checklist of bird species sighted. In that year he hitchhiked 69,000 miles criss-crossing the nation several times in hopes of glimpsing elusive and rare birds. Even beginning birdwatchers will chuckle and admire his victories and frustrations, as well as gaining deeper insights into birds and the observant people who pursue them. In the end, Kaufmann lost the contest to see the most birds, but he "resolved to look at birds more carefully…, look at them all, common or rare, to see if I could really get to know them." Many of the chapters narrate his travels in the Southwest. Includes new afterword to the 1997 edition. [Bill Broyles]
Landscapes of Fraud: Mission Tumacacori, the Baca Float, and the Betrayal of the O'odham: By Thomas E. Sheridan University of Arizona Press 303 pp. Index. $35.00; Tom Sheridan looks at three centuries of history in Arizona's Santa Cruz Valley as it evolved from a community of Native farmers through the colonial period, as a commodity to be bought and sold. The Tohono O'odham were the losers as speculators playing with fictitious capital, filing numerous law suits over many years, and evicting farmers from what was known as Baca Float #3. The shady developers moved in during the 60s and 70s promising a fabulous community at Rio Rico. And throughout, extractive industries played with the landscape. The losers were the Native peoples, when the land "was transformed from a communal resource into a commodity, bought and sold for its future value." [Patricia Etter]; This lively and authoritative narrative analyzes what happens when land speculators overwhelm the plain folks who live on and work that ground. Sheridan artfully traces the 300-year history of two enormous land grants surrounding the Tumacacori Mission in southern Arizona. From the dispossession of the Tohono O'odham to modern squabbles over subdivisions, the story is fraught with greed and deceit, grand plans and, occasionally, noble deeds. An underlying theme is the value of open space around densely-packed communities. It is intriguing scholarship in a well-told account of the brawls that led to urban sprawl. [Bill Broyles]
Landscapes of New Mexico: Paintings of the Land of Enchantment: By Suzan Campbell and Suzanne Deats Fresco Fine Art 287 pp. Index.12" X 10 3/4". $85.00
Larger than Life: New Mexico in the Twentieth Century: By Ferenc Morton Szasz, University of New Mexico Press 298 pp. Index. $22.95; Eleven essays that touch on New Mexico's history through its people, places and events.
Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography: By Stephen Trimble Northland Publishing 210 pp. Index.12" X 11". $40.00; This luminous volume is a celebration of photography of Arizona's iconic geological marvel from 1871 to 2006, based on a juried exhibition sponsored by the Grand Canyon Association. Award-winning Arizona ecologist, writer, editor and photographer, Stephen Trimble, has assembled striking images of the beloved Canyon collected from more than 25 of its best-known photographic admirers, including the Kolb brothers, Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Josef Muench, Phillip Hyde, David Muench, Jack Dykinga and Gary Ladd. It's not just the great photos, but also the interesting information, history and discussion about the Grand Canyon, photographers and photography that make this an exceptional book. [Sharon Gilbert]; It should not surprise anyone with an interest in photography that Trimble, an excellent photographer himself, is also an expert when it comes to the history of his profession as well as the aesthetics of the work of others. He begins this overview (in large format and containing more than 150 reproductions) with a brief survey of the black-and-white years (up through 1935) followed by a slightly longer study of "the middle years" (1936 - 1975) which includes such well-known photographers as Ansel Adams, David Muench and Eliot Porter. Then he gets down to the serious business of commenting upon his contemporaries, the oldest of which is Native American John Running, and includes such well-knowns as Jerry Jacka, Jack Dykinga, Tom Till, Michael Collier and even Trimble himself. Splashy, colorful, thoughtful and many other adjectives fit these images that show us a world of GC possibilities from lightning strikes and waterfalls to boiling rapids and inflated rafts. Mini-biographies, and "mug shots" of the image makers are included. [W. David Laird]
Latinos and American Law: Landmark Supreme Court Cases: By Carlos R. Soltero, University of Texas Press 248 pp. $$19.95 pb, $45. hc; A scholarly examination of fourteen landmark cases that have significantly affected Latino rights, extending from the Fuller Court (1888-1910) to the Rehnquist Court (1985-2005).
Learning to Write "Indian": The Boarding School Experience and American Indian Literature: By Amelia V. Katanski, University of Oklahoma Press 274 pp. Index. $24.95; The author examines the writings of Native people who recall their experience in Indian Boarding Schools. There is no southwestern content.
Leaving New Buffalo Commune: By Arthur Kopecky, University of New Mexico Press 213 pp. $19.95; Kopecky's first book, New Buffalo, tells the story of a group of idealistic "hippies," who in 1971, purchased a 171-acre ranch in northern New Mexico, where they planned to live peacefully off the land and work together sharing what they had. This new volume, a diary, which was kept between March 1976 and March 1979, continues the saga as Utopian ideals gradually begin to fall when individual personalities begin to show and the commune is no longer working together. The dream vanished and the author and his wife ultimately leave. A spattering of added entries brings the experiment full circle to 2005.
Legacy Greater Than Words, A: Stories of U.S. Latinos and Latinas of the World War II Generation: By Maggie Rivas Rodriguez, Juliana Torres, Melissa Dipiero-D'Sa, and Lindsay Fitzpatrick Austin : U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project 344 pp. Index. $29.95; This volume summarizes the interviews and photographs of the individuals who paticipated in the U.S. Latino & Latina World War II Oral History Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
Legacy of Americo Paredes, The: By Jose R. Lopez Morin, Texas A&M University Press 169 pp. Index. $$40.00 cloth; $19.95 pbk; A biography of Americo Paredes (1915-1999), notable scholar and champion of the application of an interdisciplinary approach to Mexican-American Studies, which in turn inspired innovative new methodologies in the study of folklore as well as anthropology.
Life Along the Border: a Landmark Tejana Thesis: By Jovita Gonzales. Edited, with an Introduction, by Maria Eugenia Cotera Texas A&M University Press 160 pp. Index. $35.00 cloth, $17.95 pbk
Life in the Past Lane: The Route 66 Experience; Historic Management Contexts for the Route 66 Corridor in California: By Matt C. Bishoff Statistical Research 172 pp. Technical Series 86, Volume 1.. $30.00; With this report from the Bureau of Land Management, Route 66--a corridor once crowded with Dust Bowl emigrants and early tourists--is placed within the larger context of U.S. history. Numerous maps and photographs offer glimpses of segments of the early road, making it easy to understand why it took 63 days to drive from San Francisco to New York in 1903, averaging 90 miles a day on gasoline in pre-filled canisters. Travelers camped out beside their cars before creative entrepreneurs set up motels, eateries, gas stations and curio shops, and small towns appeared and just as often disappeared with the advent of Interstate highways. Don't let the title mislead: this is a really good read. [Patricia Etter]
Life in the Slow Lane: A Desert Tortoise Tale (Fiction): By Conrad J. Storad, illustrated by Nathaniel P. Jensen RGU Group 32 pp. 16.8" x 10.1", glossary and notes. Ages 4-8. $19.99; Conrad Storad can't write an unimportant children's book. The award-winning author of regional classics including "Don't Call Me Pig! A Javelina Story" and "Lizards for Lunch" hits another one out of the park with this endearing rhymed tale of Shelly and her Grandpa Tortoise, who leave rushing around for the jack rabbits and hummingbirds in favor of taking it slow and eating some flowers. With sun-baked illustrations that glow with desert warmth, this is a wonderful read-aloud that entertains while delivering an important message: the survival of the desert tortoise is threatened by our rush to develop the desert. A kid-sized glossary and some thoughtful notes from the author round off this very satisfying picture book. [Helene Woodhams]
Link, The (Fiction): By Richard Matheson, Gauntlet Publications 349 pp. $55.00; This is an unusual offering for fans and students, comprised of a narrative version of a script developed by author Richard Matheson in the 1970s for an ambitious proposed television series with an occult theme involving a man with latent psychic powers pursuing his archaeologist father's dying wish to probe a mystery he uncovered in the Arizona desert that he thought would unlock the answers to the meaning of life and everything. Unfortunately for viewers, ABC-TV was not up to the challenge. Now we'll never know.
Little Creek, The (Fiction): By Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Julie Scott Western National Parks Association 32 pp. 10" x 10". Ages 4-8. $7.95; Tucsonan Jennifer Ward, author of several desert-themed picture books, now turns her attention to riparian areas and the need to tread lightly in a fragile world. Grasses and herons, frogs and herons, coyotes, beavers, and migrating birds are welcomed by the little creek and they live there in contentment. People are welcomed, too, but their mistreatment of the fragile area has devastating results until a group of eco-savvy kids save the day. Ward's prose is straightforward and she makes an abstract subject accessible to even the youngest readers. The richly-colored illustrations by Julie Scott are glorious. A useful, child-friendly guide to riparian areas is included. [Helene Woodhams]
Lost Trails of the Arizona Game Rangers: By Kimrod Murphy, self 209 pp. $; A long-time Arizona game ranger in southeastern Arizona tells how he thought wildlife, bosses, and bad guys should be managed. Murphy, who knew hunters, lawmen, and ranchers (including Ralph Morrow, Bud Bristow, Bob Brown, Lynn Cool, and Henry Gray) preferred the old days and old ways. Murphy served 38 years with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, mostly in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Lupe Vargas and Her Super Best Friend/Lupe Vargas y su super mejor amiga (Fiction): By Amy Costales. Illustrated by Alexandra Artigas. Luna Rising 32 pp. 10.7" x 9.3" Bilingual text, English/Spanish. $15.95; Lupe Vargas and her best friend can be anything they want to be, and are even able to make up when they disagree. The "magic potions" the girls mix up are an interesting way of establishing the book's setting, as they contain all manner of exotic food, including cactus fruit. Ages 4-8
Lute! The Seasons of My Life: By Lute Olson and David Fisher. Foreword by John Wooden Thomas Dunne Books 321 pp. Index. $24.95; The College Basketball Hall of Fame coach and Arizona sports icon shares fifty seasons of this life in this very personal autobiography.
Lynch Ropes & Long Shots: The True Story of an Old West Train Robbery: By Bob Alexander, introduction by John D. Tanner, Jr. High-Lonesome Books 186 pp. Index. $25.00; Alexander has ferreted out every single detail concerning the New Mexico Territory train robbery known as the Gage robbery, covering both the historical antecedents and what happened later, and it's all here! [W. David Laird]
Made in the Southwest: A Shopper's Guide to the Region's Best Native American, Hispanic, and Western Craft Traditions: By Laura Morelli, Rizzoli 192 pp. $24.95; I can't think of anything missing from this beautiful guide, well illustrated with maps and photographs. It covers shopping in Southern Calfornia, Utah, Nevada, West Texas, Southwestern Colorado, and all of Arizona and New Mexico, and outlines three traditions: Hispanic Crafts; Native American Crafts; and Anglo-American (Western Crafts). A western afficianado, for example, will not only find where to find western apparel, but where to buy spurs, buckles, boots and saddles in any of the states mentioned above. This is also true of Hispanic crafts, which might include wooden furniture, textiles, tinware and devotional arts. In addition to fetishes and Katsinas, dealers are listed for locating American Indian pottery, weavings, jewelry and basketry. The book ends with a listing of cultural events. Because this promises to be a useful tool for those that buy and collect folk arts, I would suggest that future volumes have a spiral binding for ease of use. [Patricia Etter]
Mama Fela's Girls (Fiction): By Ana Baca, University of New Mexico Press 318 pp. $24.95
Man Who Could Fly and Other Stories, The (Fiction): By Rudolfo A. Anaya, University of Oklahoma Press 197 pp. $19.95; Eighteen short stories set in the Southwest, Mexico, and the Andes remind readers why Anaya is a seminal figure in the evolution of Chicano literature.
Man Who Could Fly and Other Stories, The (Fiction): By Rudolfo Anaya, University of Oklahoma Press 216 pp. $19.95 cloth; Eighteen stories set in the Southwest, Mexico, and the Andes remind readers why Anaya is a seminal figure in the evolution of Chicano literature.
Mason County "Hoo Doo" War 1874-1902, The: By David D. Johnson, University of North Texas Press 332 pp. Index. $27.95
Mesa Verde Centennial Series, The: By various authors Durango Herald Small Press pp. A seven-volume series. $; This Mesa Verde centennial series is seven books that merit special recognition as a wonderful set celebrating the 100th anniversary of Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. The books are beautifully designed, well written and amply illustrated. Their topics include tourism, early photographer Gustaf Nordenskiöd, restoration of the ruins, the effects of forest fires, the Wetherill family, visionary women who worked to create the park, and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) crews who worked there. The authors are well-spoken folks who know the park intimately and write engagingly. The result is delightful, a genuine contribution to the literature of the Southwest. The seven titles are available individually or as a boxed set. The titles in the series are Dirt, Water, Stone: A Century of Preserving Mesa Verde, by Kathleen Fiero; Travels and Travails: Tourism at Mesa Verde, by Duane A. Smith and William C. Winkler; Photographing Mesa Verde: Nordenskiöd and Now, by William G. Howard, Douglas G. Hamilton, and Kathleen Howard; Fire on the Mesa by Tracey L. Chavis and William R. Morris; The Wetherills: Friends of Mesa Verde by Fred M. Blackburn; Women to the Rescue: Creating Mesa Verde National Park by Duane A. Smith; and New Deal Days: The CCC at Mesa Verde by Ronald C. Brown and Duane A. Smith. [Bill Broyles]
Mesa Verde National Park: The First 100 Years: Edited by Rose Houk and Faith Marcovecchio. Duane A. Smith, Historical Consultant Mesa Verde Museum Association and Fulcrum Publishing 130 pp. Index.11 1/2" X 13" paperback. $21.95; Not your dry-as-dust "institutional history," this large-format (almost a foot tall, more than 13-inches deep) book is loaded with interesting photographs, both historic and contemporary. The history of the park is told in chapters dealing with what we might call the 'everyday' issues: who first visited the ruins, who built the park and when, who wrote about it first, when did the tourists begin to flock in (over 100,000 per year despite its somewhat out-of-the-way location) and so on. It’s fun just to turn the pages of this colorful presentation! [W. David Laird]
Mesa Verde World, The: Explorations in Ancestral Pueblo Archaeology: Edited by David Grant Noble SAR Press 182 pp. Index. $59.95 cloth, $24.95 pbk; The attraction of Mesa Verde is both obvious and subtle: It is a magnificent complex of noble ruins in a beautiful setting, and it brims with history and questions about earlier people. This volume, containing 20 chapters by experts, appeals to each of those attractions. The photos are appealing and informative; the essays are enlightening and provocative. It is indeed an exploration of what is known and what riddles remain, as well as a geographical tour of sites, making for a very satisfying reading brightened by the thrills of discovery. [Bill Broyles]
Mestizo in America: Generations of Mexican Ethnicity in the Suburban Southwest: By Thomas Macias, The University of Arizona Press 200 pp. $45 cloth, $19.95 paper; This is an insightful academic work based on sociological studies of third-generation and longer term Mexican Americans and their cultural identity and assimilation in the larger American culture. The author is a professor of sociology who is, himself, a third-generation Mexican American.
Mexican Americans and Language: Del Dicho al Hecho: Mexican American Experience Series University of Arizona Press 128 pp. Index. $15.95; One of a series of undergraduate texts published by the University of Arizona Press entitled the Mexican American Experience, this volume by a professor of Spanish and Linguistics discusses language, with an emphasis on bilingualism.
Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico: Including His Photographs and Tales of Mountain Exploration: By Peter Greene ; photography by Mike Butterfield ; edited by Suzan C. Hall New Mexico Magazine 216 pp. One folded map in pocket. $29.95; New Mexico is the "Volcano State" where one can see almost all of the many types of volcanic land forms. This is more than just an easy-to-understand geologic history. Butterfield has mapped five areas (the Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southwest, and the bootheel) and provides location and access, elevation of major peaks, and attractions like hiking and skiing. Also included is information about flora and fauna, area history, and responsibility for administration. Glossaries rank each peak by height (there are 125 peaks over 11,000 feet) and by name. Outstanding photographs. [Patricia Etter]
Miracle on the Mesa: A History of the University of New Mexico, 1889-2003: By WIlliam E. Davis, University of New Mexico Press 470 pp. Index. $49.95 cloth, $29.95 pbk; The founding and development of the University of New Mexico, told from within the framework of each administration. beginning with the 1892-1897 joint administration of Elias S. Stover and Hiram Hadley through 2003.
Mother Magma: A Memoir of Underground Life in the San Manuel Copper Mine: By Onofre Tafoya; foreword by Christine Marin Hispanic Institute of Social Issues 162 pp. $24.95
Mountains of New Mexico, The: By Robert Julyan, University of New Mexico Press 368 pp. Index. $39.95 cloth, $22.95 pbk; New Mexico has more than 100 named mountain groups and each is described in this encyclopedia. From the highest summits to the lowest rises, the author catalogues their features, sizes, and locations, as well as giving interesting local lore and information. A bonus for hikers is an appendix listing the high points of each range, as well as the highest 250 or so summits, ranging from Mosca Peak at 9,509 feet to Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet. Many of the ranges are seldom visited and this book should lure hikers, campers, and climbers to explore and enjoy the Land of Enchantment. [Bill Broyles]
Mourning Dove: An Ella Clah Novel (Fiction): By Aimee Thurlo and David Thurlo Forge 320 pp. $24.95; In this new novel in the series featuring Special Investigator Ella Clah of the Navajo Police, Ella has a growing number of problems on her hands that could mean big changes in her life. One is the coming marriage of her widowed mother, whose resultant move from the household will be sorely felt by both Ella and her young daughter. Another is her ex-husband, an attorney who has a new desire for changes in their custody agreement. Then comes the death of a Navajo National Guardsman in what initially looks like a carjacking gone bad, but then a cryptic letter arrives from the deceased expressing fear that he is in mortal danger. As she gets deeper into the case, Ella realizes that this last one could change her life permanently. Having lived most of his own life on the Navajo Reservation, David Thurlo writes with great insight and respect for the Navajos. Fans of Tony Hillerman who have not yet discovered this satisfying series, recommended by Hillerman, are in for a treat. [Sharon Gilbert]
Native Athletes in Sport and Society: Edited by C. Richard King University of Nebraska Press 264 pp. Index. $26.95; The author highlights the lives and careers of a number of notable Native Americans who have achieved success as athletes, either individually or on teams representing a number of tribes throughout the United States. Highlighted from the west is the women's basketball team, Shiprock Cardinals from the Navajo Nation, 1960-1980, who collected over 1000 trophies in state, regional, and national tournaments in its 25-year history. It includes a few notes on the successes and trials of the Navajo/Isleta golfer, Notah Ryan Begay III.; The authors of these thirteen chapters argue that Native American athletes, because of their ethnicity and isolation on reservations, face more obstacles than other athletes. Two chapters---women's basketball on the Navajo Nation and the story of PGA golfer Notah Begay---are relevant to the Southwest. Themes of the book center on breaking stereotypes, fair play, and the effectiveness of sports in acculturation, with undercurrents of the role of sport in Native American cultures and the difficulties faced by any rural athlete struggling to reach stardom in urban markets.
Native Harvest: Authentic Southwestern Crops: By Kevin Dahl, Western National Parks Association 64 pp. $7.95; For those interested in enjoying the full benefits of a southwestern lifestyle, this gem will get you off to a good start. It is based on the fine work of Tucson's Native Seeds/SEARCH, a remarkable nonprofit organization that has pioneered the preservation of the rich agricultural legacy of the native peoples of the Southwest and the plants that sustained them. Those plants can sustain us, too. Here's an opportunity to connect in substantive and profound ways with the roots of southwestern history, culture and way of life--and have fun putting good food on your table. [Sharon Gilbert]
Navajo and Pueblo Earrings 1850-1945: Collected by Robert V. Gallegos: By Robert Bauver, Robert V. Gallegos, and Chadwick Tanner Rio Grande Books 113 pp. Index. $39.95 cloth, $27.95 pbk; This book is for collectors and those interested in the history of Navajo and pueblo jewelry, in this case, earrings. These date from the 1850s to 1945, and show change over time as techniques changed along with the technology to create them. They are fashioned from a vsriety of materials including shell, copper, silver, and of course, turquoise.
Navajo People and Uranium Mining, The: Edited by Doug Brugge, Timothy Benally, and Esther Yazzie-Lewis University of New Mexico Press 210 pp. Index. $29.95
Navajo Year The,: Walk Through Many Seasons (Fiction): By Nancy Bo Flood, illustrated by Billy Whitethorne Salina Bookshelf 0 pp. 11" X 9 3/4". $17.95
Navajo/English Dictionary of Verbs: By Alyce, Neundorf, University of New Mexico Press 313 pp. $50 cloth; Teacher, linguist, interpreter, and writer, Alyse Neundorf has compiled a verb dictionary listing 350 Navajo verbs in paradigm form. They are conjugated for the Imperfective, Perfective, and Future modes, and intended use is for students and teachers of the Navajo language. This publication follows her massive illustrated Navajo/English Bilingual Dictionary, which was listed in 2005.
Nesting Birds of a Tropical Frontier: The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas: By Timothy Brush, Texas A&M University Press 245 pp. Index. $24.95; If you take a bird trip every weekend of the year with an expert birder like Tim Brush, you’ll hear a wealth of information and topics--in short, a book like this. Brush, a professor of biology, has been everywhere and read everything on the lower Rio Grande. He enthusiastically and expertly discusses a multitude of interesting birds, giving their distribution, habitat, habits, population trend, and other observations. With this book in one hand and an identification guide in the other, you'll have many memorable outings and will come away much more appreciative of population dynamics. [Bill Broyles]
New Mexico: Past and Future: By Thomas E. Chavez, University of New Mexico Press 208 pp. Index. $17.95; The geography of the Southwest has made New Mexico a major route of migration as well as a desirable destination for succeeding waves of humanity. Some of the most important archeological sites of the first known inhabitants of the New World are there (Clovis and Folsom, from 10-11,000 years ago), as well as one of the first sizeable long-term European settlements in the U.S. (1598). Written for a popular audience, this concise volume provides a very readable and engaging overview of the history of New Mexico, from the earliest known inhabitants to the present day. To help readers maintain the perspective of forest rather than trees, it de-emphasizes dates and names in favor of the flow and context of history in terms of cause and effect.
New Southwest Cookbook, The: By Carolyn J. Niethammer, Rio Nuevo Publishers 256 pp. Index.7" X 10". $17.95; A collection of 135 uniquely regional recipes gathered from 71 chefs throughout the Southwest.; A collection of 135 uniquely regional recipes gathered from 71 chefs throughout the Southwest.
New West Reader: Essays on an Ever-Evolving Frontier: Edited by Philip Conors Nation Books 355 pp. $16.95; Readers with a little gray in their hair or beard will find this collection a comfortable stroll with old friends. Abbey, McMurtry, Kittredge, McGuane, Stegner, Silko, Limerick, Alexie and Gilb are just some of the names you'll remember fondly. Reading the table of contents makes me feel that perhaps my "new west" of 30 years ago is still the latest version.
Night Journal, The (Fiction): By Elizabeth Crook Viking 454 pp. $24.95; Crook has fashioned a compulsive pageturner in this richly-textured story set in northern New Mexico. On a visit from Texas to Pecos Pueblo and Las Vegas with her opinionated and strong-willed grandmother, Meg Mabry unravels family secrets hidden for a century in the pages of her great-grandmother's journal. Crook has done her research and writes convincingly of ties and lies between four generations of southwestern women. [Bruce Dinges]
Not a Matter of Love and Other Stories (Fiction): By Beth Alvarado New Rivers Press 173 pp. $14.95; A debut collection of short fiction exploring the tensions and passions of biracial families against a southwestern backdrop.
Nothing But Trouble: A Kevin Kerney Novel (Fiction): By Michael McGarrity, Dutton 320 pp. $24.95; McGarrity fans get two mysteries for the price of one. As Santa Fe Sheriff Kevin Kerney uncovers a smuggling operation while moonlighting as a technical advisor on a movie being filmed in the New Mexico bootheel, his army-officer wife travels to Ireland to arrest a Vietnam-era deserter with sensitive political ties. Deft plotting, a firm grasp of setting, and sympathetic characters make this tenth outing in McGarrity's popular series an entertaining read.
Organ Pipe Cactus, The: By David Yetman, University of Arizona Press 70 pp. Index. $; Many of us are familiar with organ pipe cactus in the wild, but this colorful book takes the fresh approach of reminding us that especially in Mexico these cactus are used for food, wood, and landscaping. The lively book talks about the organ pipe's life history, its relatives, its homeland, and its future. The author is the host of the popular TV series The Desert Speaks, and his many viewers will doubly appreciate this tasty book. [Bill Broyles]
Our House on Hueco (Fiction): By Carlos Nicolas Flores, Texas Tech University Press 234 pp. $17.95; Ten year old Junior narrates this novel covering perhaps a year in the life of his half-Mexican, half-Puerto Rican family beginning as they move across the Rio Grande from Juarez to El Paso into the basement of the house, in a white neighborhood that his hard working Pop has managed to acquire. Gringos live upstairs but somewhere in the future that will be the family home, meanwhile it's the basement and the apartment they are adding to the back of the house. A simple narrative with love and death and all the life in between.
Outlaw Tales of Arizona: True Stories of Arizona's Most Nefarious Crooks, Culprits, and Cutthroats: By Jan Cleere, Globe Pequot Press 114 pp. Cover title reads: Outlaw Tales of Arizona: True Stories of Arizona's Most Famous Robbers, Rustlers, and Bandits. $10.95; A lively retelling of eleven stories of robbery, murder, and mayhem based on wide reading in published accounts.; At one time, the Arizona Territory was notorious for being overrun by every kind of outrageous lawbreaker imaginable. This compilation provides an interesting sampling from historical records to make you wonder about some of those who preceded us here. Do you suppose they might wonder about us too?
Painted Desert, The: Land of Wind and Stone: Text by Scott Thybony, Photographs by David Edwards University of Arizona Press 76 pp. $14.95; An eloquent book about a place everyone has heard of but few people know: the Painted Desert. Thybony weaves history, sentiment, Navajos, geology, and adventure into this seamlessly told tale. His words ripple like a breeze over smooth sand: "It’s a region lying beyond the river where roads fade into a narrative landscape. Each butte is a remnant of an older story, half remembered, worn to fragments." Thybony knows this desert and its people, Navajo herders. He gently reveals layers of detail and mystery. A superb, satisfying book. Evocative black/white photos by David Edwards disclose a dreamscape of rock and sky. It has been rewarding to watch this University of Arizona Press series evolve. [Bill Broyles]
Palm Springs: California's Desert Gem: Photography and text by Ren Navez Westcliffe Publishers 108 pp. 10" X 10". $21.95; Navez's images are colorful presentations and Westcliffe has improved over the years in display and printing of its photo books, but this is a misleading and mis-titled volume. From it one would never know that Palm Springs has become a representative of major urban sprawl. Almost all of Navez's images cover the handsome natural areas near the city such as Joshua Tree National Monument, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.; A coffee-table book with beautiful photos of the California desert from Palm Springs east, including Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Coachilla Valley. Oddly, but perhaps happily, few of them are of Palm Springs. The accompanying text is informative. A nice choice for those interested in the area or looking for a memento.
Parks After Dark: A Beginner's Guide to Stargazing in the National Parks: By Rick Shaffer, Western National Parks Association 40 pp. 11" X 8 5/8", spiral binding. . $7.95; Shaffer provides an excellent introduction to the annual cycle of "things to see" in the night sky. It will be perfect for high school, or even upper grades. His descriptions and directions are easy to understand and the maps, charts and photos illustrate everything in simple, direct formats.
Passionate Nation: The Epic History of Texas: By James L. Haley, Free Press 636 pp. Index. $35.00
Passions in Print: Private Press Artistry in New Mexico, 1834-Present: By Pamela S. Smith and Richard Polese Museum of New Mexico Press 223 pp. Index.8" X 11". $45.00; For nearly 175 years New Mexico, and especially Santa Fe, has been a hotbed of private press printing, not all of it elegant in the rarified sense of, say, the Ashendene, the Kelmscott, or even the Grabhorn presses, but personal, original and often passionate. Editor Smith, herself a major part of New Mexico's recent history of printing as director, typesetter and general dogsbody of the Press of the Palace of the Governors, has drawn on her vast knowledge of the subject (not to mention her exquisite design sense) to create a beautiful book that is simultaneously accurate and informative. [W. David Laird]
Perennials for the Southwest: Plants that Flourish in Arid Gardens: By Mary Irish, Timber Press 312 pp. Index.7" x 9". $29.95; This is a welcome addition to the relatively sparse literature on perennials for gardens in the hot, arid desert regions of the southwest, from Los Angeles to Austin. The author is former Director of Public Horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. She devotes the first half of the book to practical information on planning and care for such gardens and the second half to a detailed pallette of over 150 good plants to choose from. Gardeners will find many favorites and many additional ideas. Well written and nicely illustrated, this is a useful guide for gardeners of every level and interest.
Photographer's Guide to Canyon Country: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them: By John Annerino, The Countryman's Press 96 pp. $$15.95
Photographers Guide to Canyon Country, The: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them: By John Annerino The Countryman Press 96 pp. 6" x 9". $15.95; The Southwest is famous the world over as one of the most strikingly unique and beautiful places you’ll find anywhere. Billions of photographs are taken here every year. We might all wish they turned out like John Annerino’s. A Tucsonan, Annerino grew up here and few have explored the Southwest as he has. He is one of the great writers and photographers of the region, with many critically acclaimed books and photographic collections to his credit, plus publication in all the top magazines, including Life, Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, People, Scientific American and National Geographic Adventure. A combined travel guide with a focus on exceptional scenery and features and a photographic guide with information and suggestions on how to make the best of your photo opportunities, this is a sequel to his Photographer’s Guide to the Grand Canyon, extending his insights and know-how to everyone who would like to take good photos throughout Canyon Country.
Photographing Mesa Verde: Nordenskiold and Now: By William G. Howard, Douglas J. Hamilton and Kathleen Howard Durango Herald Small Press 123 pp. Mesa Verde Centennial Series.. $15.95; This Mesa Verde centennial series is seven books that merit special recognition as a wonderful set celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. The books are beautifully designed, well written and amply illustrated. Their topics include tourism, early photographer Gustaf Nordenskiöld, restoration of the ruins, the effects of forest fires, the Wetherill family, visionary women who worked to create the park, and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) crews who worked there. The authors are well-spoken folks who know the park intimately and write engagingly. The result is delightful, a genuine contribution to the literature of the Southwest. The seven titles are available individually or as a boxed set. [Bill Broyles]
Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s: Katherine G. Morrisey and Kirsten Jensen, Editors University of Arizona Press 247 pp. Index.10" x 7.1". $50.00 hdc. $24.95 pbk.; The editors, a University of Arizona Assistant Professor of History and an independent museum curator, pair essays by historians, librarians and sociologists with Depression-Era photos from public and private Arizona collections to illustrate the impact of the photographer's cultural agenda on the photographs he or she produces.
Pistol Packin' Madams: True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West: By Chris Enss, TwoDot 93 pp. $10.95; A series of biographical sketches of the "sporting women" and "soiled doves" who owned and operated the bordellos and bawdy houses in the Early American West. At a time when there were few ways women could earn a living on their own, frontier madams were in charge of their own destiny.
Postcards From Ed: Dispatches and Salvos From an American Iconoclast: Edited and with an Introduction by David Petersen Milkweed Editions 296 pp. Index. $24.95; The words of Ed Abbey are still reverberating across the canyon walls, still inspiring or enraging those who listen. Pick a page, any page, of this book, and you'll hear the dean of Southwest writers rail, rouse, and reflect. At times he is soothing and compassionate; other times he is inflammatory and antagonistic. On every page is his wit and intellect, his humor and his passion, his opinions and his questions. Of special interest is a list of his own reading favorites (letter to Robert Houston, 1988), his ranging comments on the craft of writing, and photos from his family album. This is a must for any Abbey library and a good read for those newcomers who wonder what the Abbey fuss is about. [Bill Broyles]
Pride of Place: A Contemporary Anthology of Texas Nature Writing: Edited by David Taylor University of North Texas Press 214 pp. Index. $29.95 cloth, $16.95 pbk; This collection of 14 essays by Texans about their beloved Texas will appeal particularly to those who already know and love Texas. Many of the selections are more about the tellers than about Nature, but some jump with humor and insight, such as Barbara "Barney" Nelson's “That One-Eyed Hereford Muley.”
Proud to Be a Blacksheep: Dibe Lizhihi Jiliigo Bee Shanadli (Fiction): By Roberta John. Illustrated by Keith Smith. Navajo by Peter A. Thomas Salina Bookshelf 32 pp. Bilingual text Navajo/English; 10 3/4" X 9 1/2".. $17.95; Headstrong Shundeen, who feels her native culture is not respected in her off-reservation school, learns important life lessons about her heritage from her grandparents during the summer she spends with them on the Navajo reservation. The text is bilingual Navajo and English. Ages 4-8.
Puebloan Ruins of the Southwest: By Arthur H. Rohn and William Ferguson University of New Mexico Press 320 pp. Index.8 3/4" X 11" . $60.00 cloth, $34.95 pbk; Remember when family vacations were two weeks by car visiting some region of America? You met some real people, had a few adventures, and came home invigorated with an authentic appreciation of your country. This book is that vacation. The authors take us to more than 60 unoccupied pueblos of the Chaco, northern Rio Grande, Little Colorado, Mesa Verde, northern San Juan, and Kayenta regions. Clear and interesting text explains the archaeology and anthropology, and in one grand tour we begin to understand and appreciate the scope of indigenous life over the past 2,500 years in the Four Corners region. Excellent color photos and maps show what we can see first hand. [Bill Broyles]; This spectacular revision of Anasazi Ruins of the Southwest reflects new terminology for the ancient southwestern puebloans. The term Anasazi is out; now we talk about the ancient puebloans, a designation that nicely covers the linguistically-diverse people who inhabited the Four Corners area for more than 2000 years, thought to be ancestors of the modern pueblo people. Following a detailed introduction, the authors discuss ruins that can be visited by region: Northern San Juan, Kayenta, Chaco Canyon, Little Colorado River, and Northern Rio Grande Valley. Floor plans of individual ruins are presented along with colored maps, aerial photographs, and hundreds of illustrations. This is a good one for the car library. [Patricia Etter]
Quarry (Fiction): By Susan Cummins Miller, Texas Tech University Press 248 pp. $24.95; Like the author, the protagonist is a geologist who lives in Tucson. In this third novel in the series, Frankie McFarlane returns to California to defend her dissertation and thereby complete her Ph.D. However, when people around her start disappearing and dying, her life takes a drastic turn for the worse as she becomes the prime suspect in an expanding homicide investigation. The disappearance of a fellow geology graduate on a desert dig leads Frankie into the Mojave, where her knowledge of geology and everything else she knows will be put to more strenuous tests than she had imagined. A compelling heroine and lots of action make this a very enjoyable read, but we were particularly impressed with the skill with which good science and the desert locale were woven into a nice complex plot and its resolution. We hope to see the plucky Dora again, too. [Sharon Gilbert]
Quick Field Guide to Pottery Sherds in the Southwest, A: By Kelley Hayes-Gilpin, Western National Parks Association pp. Two-sided, full-color laminated guide. 9" long and 23-1/2" wide flat, 9" x 3- 7/8" folded.. $; An informative and easy-to-understand guide for amateur archeologists.
Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape: By Brad Lancaster and Joe Marshall Rainsource Press 183 pp. Index. $24.95; Falling groundwater tables and rising water bills remind us that it was not long ago that the Southwest was described as an arid wasteland. Rainwater harvesting, restoring native habitat, permaculture, xeriscape and outdoor living spaces reconnect us with our natural environment and enrich our lives in special ways. Written by a hands-on pioneer and expert in the field, this easy-to-understand, how-to manual shows simple, low-cost ways we can significantly increase the quantity and quality of our water supply, fit in better with the southwestern environment and shift to a more sustainable way of living. The first of three comprehensive volumes, it is packed with well-proven, practical information suitable for everyone from homeowners, to builders, to public policy makers. It is a major contribution to the effort to address one of the key issues impacting the future of the Southwest. [Sharon Gilbert]
Real Women Eat Chiles: By Jane Butel ; food photography by Christopher Marchetti Northland Publishing 194 pp. Index.7 3/4" X 10 1/4". $21.95; Chiles are IN! They are good for one, since the author believes that spicy, flavorful food "pleasantly fills one up . . . and can even help burn calories." Among the "Real Women" are Sara Moulton, Executive Chef for Gourmet Magazine; Barbara Richardson, New Mexico's First Lady; Everest climber, Angela Hawse; and Dara Marks-Marino, professional mountain bike rider. Numerous easy, yum-in-the-tum recipes and their nutrition facts are included.; Jane Butel has created a beautiful celebration of chiles in her most recent book. The audience is health conscious people new to chiles. She regales newcomers with the health benefits of incorporating chiles into a daily regimen and includes an array of simple, but appealing recipes to get started. A chart describing the most available chiles, with pictures, would have been particularly beneficial for people new to this fascinating fruit.
Reaper's Line, The: Life and Death on the Mexican Border: By Lee Morgan II Rio Nuevo Publishers 525 pp. $25.00; Morgan, a retired special agent for the U.S. Customs Service, files an unvarnished report from the front line of America's war on drugs and illegal immigrants. While alternately railing against corrupt Mexican officials and his inept, uninformed, and unengaged rear-echelon superiors, Morgan offers eye-opening and hair-raising first-hand insight into a violent world complicated by politics, greed, and bigotry--and he isn't afraid to name names. Behind his bombastic, profane, no-holds-barred literary style, Morgan writes with sympathy and understanding about complicated border issues. [Bruce Dinges]; The author returned from Vietnam with a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, but says the danger there was nothing compared to his service with the U.S. Border Patrol on the Arizona Border, which he describes as "one of the most violent places on Earth." There, greatly outnumbered lawmen are hamstrung by limited resources, inept bureaucracies, interagency rivalries, ill-informed, politically expedient decisions from higher up and corruption on all sides. In this hard-hitting expose, the retired Special Agent offers striking insight into why America is losing the border war. [Sharon Gilbert]
Red Hot Murder: An Angie Amalfi Mystery (Fiction): By Joanne Pence, Avon Books 356 pp. $6.99; Angie, noted as a "dilettante" chef, jumps at the chance to spend a week with her fiance, private detective Paavo Smith, in Jackpot, Arizona (non-existent, but think Quartzite and you won't go far wrong). There to investigate the death of an old, old friend, the pair is soon confronted with the murder of another of Paavo's friends and Angie's plans to consider Jackpot as an unusual venue for their up-coming, but as yet not specifically dated, wedding get sidetracked. Over-written and pretty obviously plotted.
Ride of Our Lives, The: Roadside Lessons of an American Family: By Mike Leonard, Ballantine Books 230 pp. Book features 1 DVD.. $24.95; A television correspondent hits the road with his family, including his somewhat eccentric and elderly parents, in two RVs. Their travels, in part, take them through the Southwest, but overall Southwest content is minimal.
Riding for the Brand: 150 Years of Cowden Ranching: Being an Account of the Adventures and Growth in Texas and New Mexico of the Cowden Land & Cattle Company: By Michael Pettit, University of Oklahoma Press 306 pp. Index. $29.95; Pettit lets the journey be his destination as he leaves his Eastern university teaching chores to join the spring and fall roundups in search of his Cowden family roots in West Texas and eastern New Mexico. The result is an engaging and informative study of the cattle business from the inside out and its important role in southwestern history.
Rivers of North America: Arthur C. Benke and Colbert E. Cushing, editors Elsevier Academic Press 1 pp. Index. $; This encyclopedia of rivers provides up-to-date coverage of facts, issues, and studies for major North American rivers and their drainage basins. Coverage of the Southwest includes the Colorado River, Rio Grande, Rio Yaqui, and Rio Conchos. The book expands our understanding of North American geography, land uses, and water ecology. Some of the information should give us pause for thought; for example, in the arid Southwest, nearly 64% of the Colorado River basin's runoff is used for irrigation and another 32% is lost by evaporation from open-surface reservoirs. The book is well illustrated with maps of watersheds, photos, charts, and graphs. The book's 70 contributors, an all-star team of water experts, have given us a book for general browsers as well as hydrologists and decisions makers. [Bill Broyles]
Rock Art Along the Way: By Janet Webb Farnsworth; photography by Bernadette Heath Rio Nuevo Publishers 159 pp. Index. $18.95; Latest in a long line of petroglyph guides of our region (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah are covered) this book, printed on coated paper with nearly 200 color photographs, should add to the enjoyment of any tourist with an interest in rock art. It covers only sites readily accessible to the public and reveals no "secret" sites that are better left untrammeled. [W. David Laird]; One of our most direct and enjoyable links with people long past is their legacy of rock drawings, those painted or pecked lines and figures on stone canvasses. The author provides travel directions to more than 55 rock art sites in Arizona, New Mexico, eastern California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, and southwestern Colorado. Even better, she doesn't try to analyze or explain the meanings of the figures. Heath's beautiful photos are a bonus of delight--they are some of the best ever taken of these art panels and they convey a sense of the larger place where real people lived and worked. The book is quite respectful of the sites and the people who made them. This reader was pleasantly reminded of his own visits to sites described and again felt those senses of admiration and tranquility-- holiness if you will-- that descend on visitors to these places. I feared this would be a kiss-and-tell book, betraying the sacred sites, but instead it kisses and then weds us to the past. Considering the vulnerability of many lesser known rock art sites across the West, this book actually may do good service by steering folks to sites that are already featured and semi-protected. Books should move us to do or feel something new: this one will do both. [Bill Broyles]
Ropes, Reins and Rawhide: All About Rodeo: By Melody Groves, University of New Mexico Press 171 pp. Index. $34.95; Here is everything one needs to know about professional rodeo, which includes information on rules and regulations (including proper dress), bare-back riding, roping, bull riding, and announcers. Even the clowns get a chapter. Although the rodeo is a southwestern institution, there is no particular locale stressed in the book although there are a few photos with a New Mexican locale.
Salsas and Tacos: The Santa Fe School of Cooking: By Susan Curtis and the Santa Fe School of Cooking, photographs by Lois Ellen Frank Gibbs Smith 96 pp. Index. $12.95; Put salsa and tacos together and you have one of the great food favorites of the Southwest. This delightful cookbook from the Santa Fe School of Cooking offers a yummy and inspiring tour of these southwest staples. For example, for salsa, how about classic nopal-chile salsa, fresh tomatillo-avocado, or zesty grapefruit-orange? For tacos, you can choose among classics like carnitas or calabacitas, or more innovative combinations like adobo pork with pineapple or baja fish with chipotle mayonnaise. You can even top your meal off with apple pie tacos for dessert. The book also expands our knowledge and possibilities with discussions of ingredients, accompaniments and processes, including how to roast chiles and make your own corn or flour tortillas. [Sharon Gilbert]
Sanctuary for All Life: The Cowbalah of Jim Corbett: By Jim Corbett Howling Dog Press 328 pp. $24.95; The final work by the self-described "cowman," "practical mystic" and co-founder of the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. Not seen by panelists.
Sandra Day O'Connor: Justice in the Balance: Women's Biography Series University of New Mexico Press 224 pp. Index. $21.95; As the subtitle suggests, McFeatters' approach is to emphasize O'Connor's middle of the road position on many issues, seeing in her voting record an effort to bring the Supreme Court into balance. But, just as this is not a regional book, neither is it a one-sided look at the O'Connor voting record. Instead, McFeatters, a journalist, looks at a variety of issues, some controversial, some not-so, and in the penultimate chapter reviews the background for her determining vote that gave the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. Only the first few pages of the book have any significant information about O'Connor's early years in Arizona.
Savage Frontier. Rangers, Riflemen and Indian Wars in Texas: Vol II, 1838-1839: By Stephen L. Moore, University of North Texas Press 426 pp. Index. $34.95; The second volume of Stephen Moore's thorough history of the expeditions, battles and leaders of the Texas fronter defense during the two bloodiest years of fighting in the young Texas Republic.
Scientists and Storytellers: Feminist Anthropologists and the Construction of the American Southwest: By Catherine Jane Lavender, University of New Mexico Press 248 pp. Index. $34.95; As women engaged in a male-dominated science, four generations of Columbia University anthropologists who studied gender roles in Southwest Native American ethnography found important lessons for contemporary American society.
Scientists and Storytellers: Feminist Anthropologists and the Construction of the American Southwest.: By Catherine J. Lavender, University of New Mexico Press 248 pp. Index. $34.95; The study focuses on four generations of southwestern feminist anthropologists, all students of Franz Boaz and participants in the cultural relativism movement. Elsie Clews Parsons concentrated efforts on gathering folklore during 1910; Ruth Benedict was interested in psychological anthroplogy in the 1920s; Gladys Reichard's inerest was with ritual ethnography during the 1930s; while Ruth Underhill's interests encompassed personal narrative ethnography in the 1940s. Author, Catherine Lavender, also examines the extent to which these women's descriptions of and reflections on Native American gender and sexuality also reflected their own cultural views.
Sea la Luz: The Making of Mexican Protestantism in the American Southwest, 1829-1900: By Juan Francisco Martinez, The University of North Texas Press 208 pp. Index. $24.95
Secret Mesa (Fiction): By Richard Kerr, Ringtail Press pp. $18.00; A mystery set in New Mexico, concerning rock carvings that are thousands of years old. Not seen by panelists.
Senator Dennis DeConcini: From the Center of the Aisle: By Dennis DeConcini, University of Arizona Press 280 pp. with Jack L. August. $29.95 cloth; DeConcini, a moderate Democrat, describes his family background and reflects on three decades in public life that took him from Pima County attorney to the U.S. Senate. Readers will be particularly interested in his first-person account of the Panama Canal treaty deliberations and his connection with the Keating Five.
Seri-Spanish-English Dictionary (Comcáac quih yaza quih hant ihíp hac): By Mary Beck Moser and Stephen A. Marlett Hermosillo: Estado de Sonora, Secretaria de Educacion y Cultura: Universidad de Sonora ; Mexico, D.F.: Plaza y Valdes 943 pp. $83.00; It's a rare gift shop or gallery in the Southwest that doesn't feature Seri ironwood carvings (ziik hacácj) or some facsimile. But these people of the desert and sea haven't had a full Seri-English-Spanish dictionary until now, thanks to this monumental lexicographic effort that began in 1951. This watershed volume provides wonderful insight into the language, things, and moods of the Seri domain: fish, cactus, seashells, wind, love, and at least a dozen words regarding ocean tides. The Seri language (Comcáac quih Yaza) is unlike any other in the Southwest, but at least now we can understand its meaning (Hant Ihíp hac) in English or Spanish. [Bill Broyles]
Shape Shifter, The (Fiction): By Tony Hillerman HarperCollins Publishers 276 pp. $25.95; Hillerman demonstrates that he is still the grand master in his tightly-plotted 22nd novel. In typical Hillerman fashion, readers learn important lessons about Navajo history and culture as retired tribal policeman Joe Leaphorn unravels a mystery involving an arson death and the disappearance of a distinctive rug. In the process, Hillerman also paints an affecting portrait of a widower coping with loneliness and the annoying infirmities of advancing age. A completely satisfying read. [Bruce Dinges]; It all started with a photograph of a rare Navajo rug and an obituary of a man who was not dead. Here was a case that the legendary and now retired Joe Leaphorn had failed to solve. Since his usual sidekicks Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito were on their honeymoon, it was fortunate that Leaphorn was able to enlist help from an unlikely source -- a Hmong immigrant with the name of Vang. This is billed as Leaphorn's "last case." We certainly hope not. To those of us who have followed him over the years, Leaphorn has become a living person, and is no longer a fictional character. [Patricia Etter]; The Grand Master is back with a welcome new novel in his popular Navajo detective series. Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn may be retired, but trouble still seeks him out. A call from an FBI pal turned private eye leads Leaphorn to take up an old case that eluded him when he was young and has haunted him since. However, this is a very different Leaphorn than we saw in the first novels. He has grown, matured and, with the death of his beloved wife, Emma, is now having to seek balance and completion within himself. In rising to the challenge, Leaphorn finds strengths and wisdom that had also eluded him before. This is a multifaceted and multilayered story that is Tony Hillerman at his finest. [Sharon Gilbert]; Now many years retired from the Navajo Nation police force where he became known as the "legendary lieutenant," Joe Leaphorn is once again drawn into an investigation involving the FBI, this time as an ally looking into an old, unsolved case from his active days. The legions of Hillerman fans will welcome this latest addition to the series. Joe’s wistful memories of his late wife Emma provide a layer of the past that is positive, yet sad, while an old unsolved case is negative, yet provides the excitement of the chase. As usual with his Leaphorn/Chee mysteries, Hillerman gives us insights into traditional Navajo culture and beliefs, providing a rich reading experience for anyone interested in the American Southwest. [W. David Laird]
Social Identities Among Archaic Mobile Hunters and Gatherers in the American Southwest: By Maxine McBrinn, Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona 109 pp. Arizona State Museum Archaeological Series 197 8 5/8 by 10 7/8 inches . $14.95; Here is a scholarly work in which the author looks at artifact groups from Bat, Tularosa, and Cordova caves and Fresnal Shelter in New Mexico, to suggest that though they came from different bands, manufacture of cordage, sandals, projectile points, and patterns of manufacture were created by kin-related work groups. Maxine McBrinn studied artifacts from archaeological sites in New Mexico.
Social Life of Pots: Glaze Wares and Cultural Dynamics in the Southwest, AD 1250-1680, The: Edited by Judith A. Habicht-Mauche, Suzanne L. Eckert, and Deborah L. Huntley University of Arizona Press 324 pp. Index. $50.00; One should not be misled by this intriguing title since this book is a detailed, scholarly work on glaze wares created by the Rio Grande and Western pueblo peoples between 1250 and 1680. The study results from 15 papers presented at the Society for American Archaeology Denver meeting in 2002. Though there have been previous studies, current instrumental techniques such as neutro activation analysis, and electron microprobe contribute greatly to new analyses. By studying types, change over time, technology, and style, archaeologists can tell if a type developed independently or was the result of trade, migration from diverse areas, or influx of new ideas or form.; In 14 chapters, 15 experts "use a variety of analytical approaches to trace the circulation of ideas, technology, raw materials, and finished vessels through networks of social interaction and shared cultural practice…." This is a top-level discussion for serious students of Southwestern pottery.
Some Fun: Stories and a Novella (Fiction): By Antonya Nelson, Scribner 236 pp. El Paso provides the setting for the eponymous novella in this accomplished collection of short fiction exploring the myriad complexities of modern-day family life.. $22.95; El Paso provides the setting for the title novella in this accomplished collection of short fiction exploring the complexities of modern-day family life.
Song for the Horse Nation, A: Horses in Native American Cultures: Edited by George P. Horse Capture and Emil Her Many Horses ; with additional essays by Herman J. Viola and Linda R. Martin National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Fulcrum Publishing 96 pp. $12.95; This beautifully published book deals with the importance of the horse in Native Life. There is no Southwestern content, however.
Southwest Flavors: Santa Fe School of Cooking: By Susan Curtis and Nicole Curtis Ammerman Gibbs Smith 224 pp. Index.9" X 10 1/2". $34.95; This is the Santa Fe School of Cooking's long-awaited second major volume on Southwestern cooking. Recipes range from basics like herb roasted vegetables, saffron rice and shredded pork tacos to sublime innovations like paella carnaval, smoked pork tenderloin with red chile-cider glaze and apple-pinon chutney, and strawberry- tequila mousse. It features discussions of selected ingredients, as well as techniques for preparation and cooking. It does indeed provide a flavor of Southwest cooking today. [Sharon Gilbert]
Southwest Park & Garden Birds (Mac's Pocket Guide): Illustrated by Stephen R. Whitney and Elizabeth Briars Hart Mountaineers Books pp. Illustrated in full color on two-sided, water and tear-resistant laminated card. Folds to 3 1/2" X 6 3/4".. $5.95; A nature identification guide for amateur naturalists.
Southwest Things that Bite & Sting (Mac's Pocket Guide): Illustrated by Stephen R. Whitney and Elizabeth Briars Hart Mountaineers Books pp. Illustrated in full color on two-sided, water- and -tear resistant laminated cards. Two-sided, 20 1/2" x 6 3/4" flat, 3.25 x 6.75" folded.. $5.95; A well-illustrated nature guide with good descriptions of potentially troublesome snakes, lizards and insects. The information included in the section titled "Worth Noting" really is.
Southwestern Journals of Zebulon Pike, 1806-1807, The: Edited by Stephen Harding Hart and Archer Butler Hulbert ; new introduction by Mark L. Gardner University of New Mexico Press 280 pp. Index.This is a reprint of a 2-volume edition published in 1932 & 1933 and a single volume in 1960. . $27.95; As Lewis and Clark were going up the Missouri River in their famous expedition, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike (for whom Pike’s Peak was named) led separate expeditions exploring the Louisiana Territory north to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and west up the Arkansas River Valley into New Mexico. Reprinted from previous editions with added material, this is his journal of the second expedition, which opened up the Southwest to American expansion.
Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Writers and Artists: By Frederick Luis Aldama, University of Texas Press 294 pp. $55.00 cloth, $22.95 pbk; Twenty-one post-1980 "second wave" chicano/a writers and visual artists - including southwesterners Denise Chavez, Dagaberto Gilb, Benjamin Alire Sainz, Luis Urrea, and Alfredo Vea, Jr. - reflect on their lives and art. Although the book is intended as supplementary reading in college-level courses, general readers will find the interviews entertaining and illuminating.
Spurred Ambition: A Pinnacle Peak Mystery (Fiction): By Twist Phelan, Poisoned Pen Press 265 pp. $24.95; Tribal gaming, immigrant smuggling, kidnapping, murder, securities fraud, and rock-climbing provide the backdrop to this mystery set in the fictional town of Pinnacle Peak (near Scottsdale), Arizona. Phelan demonstrates an intimate knowledge of the law and human foibles as her attorney heroine, Hannah Dain, wrestles with personal problems, ethnic and racial politics, and legal shenanigans.
Sun Dog Days (Fiction): By Slim Randles, University of New Mexico Press 189 pp. $24.95
Sunshot: Peril and Wonder in the Gran Desierto: Text by Bill Broyles; photographs by Michael P. Berman University of Arizona Press 245 pp. 11" X 8 1/2". $24.95; El Gran Desierto, a name to conjure with; even non-Spanish speakers can probably translate that! It is a large irregularly-shaped piece of the Sonoran Desert spanning the US-Mexico border across which the fabled Devil's Highway, so-named by the early Spanish explorers who found it daunting if not entirely unpassable. Broyles knows this piece of lovely but desolate terrain well, and he clearly loves it! After reading his beautifully written personal accounts of treks throughout the area you might also come to think it is possibly loveable. Fine black and white photographs add a dimension to the reader's understanding. This is one of the many terrific books in recent years supported for publication by Joe Wilder as director of the University of Arizona's Southwest Center. [W. David Laird]; With his latest work, Bill Broyles joins Edward Abbey, Charles Bowden and others in the pantheon of great southwestern writer-explorers who share their knowledge and understanding of the real desert in moving and profound ways. His vivid descriptions from years of exploring the Gran Desierto authentically invoke the stark beauty and dazzling wonder of this unique region. For those who love the desert, this is a must-read, a memorable experience in itself. The stunning photographs of Michael Berman are an apt accompaniment in this beautiful publication from the University of Arizona Press. Highly recommended. [Sharon Gilbert]; It is easy to say that this is the best book I have read during 2006, and it is just about time that Bill Broyle's adventures in the Pinacate region of northern Mexico and Southwestern Arizona were in print for everyone's enjoyment. He has trod almost every inch of the gran desierto, a land he says that was "got up in torment" where there is mostly sand, rock and hardly any water. Most don't go there. But Bill Broyles enjoys this environment in spite "of the heat, the fangs, and the blisters." "Out here," he says, "even the perils become wonders." His reminiscences are so vivid we can feel the heat, shiver in a rainstorm, be grateful for a rain shower, or revel in a blue sky as he follows the footsteps of early explorers. Nor is he one to retreat in the presence of a snake. More likely, he'll get as close as he can for study and a photo. In addition to his own photographs are 103 spectacular prints by Michael Berman along with a fine map. [Patricia Etter]; The Devil's Highway is crisscrossed with footprints, and many of those footprints belong to Bill Broyles. In a book that is at once intimate and humbling, readers accompany Broyles as he hikes desert trails from Ajo to Yuma and from Wellton to the Sierra Pinacate, pausing along the way to reflect on the landscape and man's relationship to this vast emptiness. Michael Berman's awe-inspiring black-and-white photographs provide the perfect visual backdrop for Broyles' elegant prose. A must for every southwestern bookshelf. [Bruce Dinges]
Taco Testimony, A: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture: By Denise Chavez, Rio Nuevo Publishers 207 pp. Index. $16.95; Although a recipe is included from time to time, tacos serve as a metaphor for the many phases in the life of Denise Chavez. Her story of working through a love/hate relationship with her mother and father is especially poignant.; The title reveals what is at the heart of this book. Chavez uses tacos and her memories of making and eating them as a vehicle for exploring and celebrating her life and her world, both inside and out, as a "Mexicana, Mexican American, Chicana." Interspersed are favorite recipes.
Tales from the Journey of the Dead: Ten Thousand Years on an American Desert: By Alan Boye, University of Nebraska Press 256 pp. $26.95; New Mexico's Jornada del Muerto is a 90-mile desert, desolate, hot, and subject to Indian attacks. Hundreds died as they slogged along waterless route along the Camino Real. For most it was a trip through hell, and the author documents its use over time, while he hikes, bikes, drives, and camps at places the ancients trod, and sites passed by the Spanish, the Mexicans, ranchers, desperadoes, and the U. S. Army. He brings us to the present with a hike on Ted Turner's buffalo ranch. A good story but the lack of an index detracts from its use. [Patricia Etter]
Taos Truth Game, The (Fiction): By Earl Ganz, University of New Mexico Press 326 pp. $24.95; When asked who the best Montana author was, without hesitation Dr. H.G. Merriam, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Montana, responded, "Myron Brinig." Not having even heard of him, Earl Ganz began a multi-year exploration of this fascinating man. Written as historical fiction, Taos Truth Game is the culmination of Ganz’s research, highlighting Brinig’s years in New Mexico (1920-35) among the celebrities of the day, centered around Mabel Dodge Lujan. This is a fascinating look at the Golden Age of culture in Taos, involving such well known figures as Robinson Jeffers, Gertrude Stein and D.H. Lawrence. [Sharon Gilbert]
Taste of Arizona, A: Recipes by Karen Billideau ; text and compilation by Kathleen Bryant Northland Publishing 96 pp. Spiral bound.. $6.95; Here is a way to eat a classic Margarita with a spoon. Just add a few eggs and some gelatin to Triple Sec along with a goodly amount of Tequila, set it in a crust, and the result is a yum-in-the-tum dessert, a real winner. Moreover, the "Mariachi Margarita Pie" is as easy to create as it is to eat. This is true of the 124 recipes in this little cookbook. A paragraph or two lays out easy to follow instructions on assembling the list of ingredients, insuring a minimal preparation time. Each recipe is named for an Arizona town or site accompanied with a short vignette about the site. Need to watch the calories on this one though.
Tehano: A Novel (Fiction): By Allen Wier, Southern Methodist University Press 716 pp. $27.50; In a novel as sprawling, complex, and action-packed as the frontier landscape it describes, a large cast of immigrants and natives--Hispanic, Anglo, Native American, foreign-born, and African American--seek footholds in post-Civil War Texas. Readers who hang on through the first one hundred pages or so will find Wier's ambitious undertaking a rich and rewarding experience.
Telegraph Days: A Novel (Fiction): By Larry McMurtry, Simon & Schuster 289 pp. $$25.00; McMurtry stands Old West stereotypes on their ears in this rollicking story of young Marie Antoinette "Nellie" Courtright, whose amorous inclinations and promotional talents land her in the company of George Custer, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, the Earps, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and other legendary westerners. As a newspaperwoman in Tombstone during the O.K. Corral shootout and a writer of "popular romances," Nellie does her part to create the mythic West and lives to see her stories projected onto the silver screen.
Teresa's Journey (Fiction): By Josephine Harper and Jo Harper Texas Tech University Press 162 pp. Chapter notes; glossary. $17.95
Test book: By first last, publisher 12 pp. $500
Texas Almanac 2006-2007, Sesquicentennial Edition, 1857-2007: Edited by Elizabeth Cruce Alvarez The Dallas Morning News; distributed by Texas A&M University Press 688 pp. Index. $22.95 cloth, $15.95 pbk; Almanacs are always fun to read, and this one on Texas is just about as big as the state. It is loaded with maps, biographies, government officials, voting results, population lists of cities and towns, information and maps of each county, religious groups, resources, education, business, and more. Also included is a feature on early Spanish missions, the history of cattle ranching in the state, report on mineral springs and a report on the "ubiquitous mesquite."
Texas Rattlesnake Tales: By Tom Wideman, State House Press 132 pp. $14.95
Texas Women on the Cattle Trails: Edited by Sara R. Massey Texas A&M University Press 326 pp. Index. $29.95
The Life of Yellowstone Kelly: By Jerry Keenan, University of New Mexico Press 377 pp. Index. $29.95; Yellowstone Kelly enjoyed a life full of fascinating exploits on the Western Plains as well as in the Philippines and in Alaska. His southwestern connection is limited to the time he spent as an Indian agent in Arizona.
They Shot Billy Today: The Families of Arizona's Pleasant Valley War: By Leland J. Hanchett, Pine Rim Publishing 373 pp. Index. $25.00; Sparked by the classic enmity between cowpunchers and sheepherders, the long-running Pleasant Valley War was also about the frailty of human relationships, institutions and life on the edge of the Arizona frontier in the 1880s. Although primarily a highly detailed presentation of historical research in a new format, rather than the narrative previously written by the author, this well-researched book not only details all of the known participants and relationships in the context of the events of the infamous range war, but also offers a fascinating look at the surprising complexity of life in Arizona at that time.
Three Little Sheep, The: Dibe Yazhi Taa'go Baa Hane' (Fiction): By Seraphine G. Yazzie, illustrated by Ryan Huna Smith, Navajo translation by Peter A. Thomas Salina Bookshelf 32 pp. Bilingual presentation (Navajo/English). 9 1/2" X 6 1/2". $12.95
Time for Peace, A: Fort Lewis, Colorado, 1878-1891: By Duane Smith, University Press of Colorado 212 pp. Index. $34.95; Smith, the dean of Colorado historians, paints a vibrant portrait of this southwest Colorado army post. Noting that not a single soldier lost his life in combat, Smith describes the ways in which Fort Lewis fostered settlement and economic development in the Four Corners region. Thanks to Smith's skills as a historian and writer, this small book packs a big punch. [Bruce Dinges]
Timeless Texas: Photographs: Photographs by Elmer Parent; introduction by Elmer Kelton. Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Texas photography series ; no. 8 Texas A&M University Press 128 pp. 10 1/4" X 11 1/4". $30.00; Although only part of the book covers our Southwest, the photos are evocative and beautiful. Especially eye-catching are the Chiso Mountains at sunrise and El Capitan in the Guadalupe Mountains. The text dwells on why the photographer took the shot and what he was trying to do. Shows some of the many diverse and beautiful places in Texas. Parents' color work will be familiar to readers of Arizona Highways. This is volume eight in the Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Texas Photography Series. [Bill Broyles]
Traveling Indian Arizona: By Anne O'Brien, Westcliffe Publishers 296 pp. Index. $24.95; This is a nice guide to exploring the lands and culture of the native peoples of Arizona. It covers history, art, life and lore, as well as detailed travel information. It is also well-illustrated, including photos, maps and bibliography. Happily it was done in cooperation with the tribes and individuals and has sections written by them too.
Travels and Travails: Tourism at Mesa Verde: By Duane A. Smith and William C. Winkler Durango Herald Small Press 195 pp. $15.95; A title in the seven-volume Mesa Verde Centennial Series.
Tread Lightly: Venomous and Poisonous Animals of the Southwest: By Rich Wagner and Margie Wagner Rio Nuevo Publishers 96 pp. Index. $14.95; Tread Lightly takes a fresh look at those spiders and snakes that give some people the creeps and, rarely, a painful bite. The authors administer a dose of caution and a diet of understanding so that we can live and let live with rattlers, black widows, scorpions, Gila monsters, and Africanized bees. Each species is described by range, diet, life span, characteristics, behavior, and reproduction. A number of harmless look-alikes--geckos, gopher snakes, tarantulas, millipedes, sun spiders--are also included. The photos by the authors are excellent, and the book combines their skills as medical professionals as well as pro photographers. The text is fresh enough to interest residents old and new. Fascination and respect are pleasant antidotes for fear. [Bill Broyles]
Tribal Water Rights: Essays in Contemporary Law, Policy and Economics: Edited by John E. Thorson, Sarah Britton, and Bonnie G. Colby University of Arizona Press 291 pp. Index. $50.00; Water has become blue gold, and America's Indian nations now control and will control water rights in a number of key regions. In some locales those rights are still unresolved, and that uncertainty cripples all parties. This book, a companion to Negotiating Tribal Water Rights, focuses on the "many complex issues that arise in negotiating and implementing Indian water rights settlements." Using a number of historical and recent examples, cases, and models, the expert authors of 14 chapters lend considerable advice and reason to the convoluted process. The reading sounds a bit “dry” but is essential for anyone who wants to understand or participate in hydropolitics.
Trout in the Sea of Cortez, A (Fiction): By John Salter, Counterpoint 287 pp. $24.00; Male midlife crisis in the midwest. No southwestern content.
Tucson Impressions: Photography by James Randklev Farcountry Press 80 pp. 9" x 8" pb. $9.95; A nice keepsake of Tucson with over 100 photographs, this is one of a series by a top landscape photographer.
Tucson Memories: By Bonnie Henry Arizona Daily Star 262 pp. Index.11.25' x 8.75', cloth. $39.95; Tucson is affectionately called “The Old Pueblo” because it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America. As Tucson’s population zips past one million people, most of whom are from other places, it is interesting to consider that one of the important aspects of “community” is a shared history. A native of The Old Pueblo, Bonnie Henry has spent years helping Tucsonans discover the roots of their community by talking with people, researching historical treasures and sharing her discoveries in her popular column in the Arizona Daily Star. With grace, charm and a subtle wit, Bonnie has connected us with the people, places and events that shaped our present and continue to make Tucson a vibrant community. Part of a continuing saga, this book is a selection of over 100 of those warm and personal stories, with photos and other illustrations from the past. It is a sequel to a previous collection, Another Tucson, published in 1992. You can find Bonnie’s more recent stories on-line at www.azstarnet.com/bonnie.; Panelist Bruce Dinges, publications director of the Arizona Historical Society, provided the foreword to Tucson Memories, a collection of articles about Tucson’s history by popular columnist Bonnie Henry. With grace, charm and subtle wit, Henry has been helping Tucsonans to connect with their roots for years. Her first collection, Another Tucson, has been a perennial favorite since it was published in 1992. Tucson Memories was published by the Arizona Daily Star, where the articles originally appeared.
Uncertain Pilgrims: A Novel (Fiction): By Lenore Carroll, University of New Mexico Press 219 pp. $24.95; In this earnest novel that blends history, romance, and spirituality, a young woman finds strength and redemption on a road trip from Kansas City to Prescott. At museum stops along the way, she draws important lessons from the experiences of army wives and other pioneer women whose stories, she realizes, are not so different from her own.
Valley of the Rainbows (Fiction): By Tim Simmons Ravenhawk Books 161 pp. Not seen by panel.. $33.00; Not seen by panelists.
Voices in the Kitchen: Views of Food and the World from Working-Class Mexican and Mexican-American Women: By Meredith E. Abarca, Texas A&M University Press 240 pp. Index. $40.00 cloth, $19.95 pbk; A daughter with a Ph.D. returns to her roots, spends time in the kitchen with her mother and her mother’s friends and rediscovers a world of relationships and wisdom. She shares what she finds of grass-roots world views, oral history and the practice of cooking – in research format.
Vote, The: A Novel (Fiction): By Sybil Downing, University of New Mexico Press 283 pp. $19.95
Walk Proud, Stand Tall: A Western Story (Fiction): By Johnny D. Boggs, Five Star 238 pp. $25.95
Walking It Off: A Veteran’s Chronicle of War and Wilderness.: By Doug Peacock, Eastern Washington University 196 pp. $19.95; War breaks people. Doug Peacock, a traumatized Vietnam vet, journeys across the Cabeza Prieta wilderness in southwestern Arizona, the Canyon Country of Utah, remote beaches of Mexico's Isla Tiburon, and rugged mountains of Nepal seeking a truce with himself. The book isn't so much about recovery as it is his recovery, coming to grips with horror and loss. His close friend Edward Abbey, who battled his own demons, struggles along with Peacock in this intensely personal yet universal odyssey. [Bill Broyles]
Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas: By Edward A. Blackburn, Texas A&M University Press 412 pp. Index. $39.95
We Walk in Beauty: Native American Photographs and Words: Photographed and compiled by Gary Auerbach Self published 79 pp. 9 1/2" X 12". $
Weedflower (Fiction): By Cynthia Kadohata Atheneum 272 pp. $16.95; During the grim and chaotic times that followed the Attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese-American girl and her family are sent from their home in Southern California to an internment camp in the Arizona desert. Grades 5-8.
Weekend Rock: Arizona: By Lon Abbott, Mountaineers Books 285 pp. Index. $19.95; The book describes 230 traditional and sport routes from 5.0 to 5.10a in a variety of Arizona mountains. Routes range from boulders to multi-pitch odysseys. Route descriptions include maps, photos, and diagrams. Some of the routes are clean and elegant, while others use more bolts than the Eiffel Tower. If you're a climber living near Flagstaff, Prescott, Phoenix, or Tucson, there is no excuse for not roping up at least once a week.
Well Regulated Militia, A (Fiction): By John J. Carpenter, PublishAmerica 520 pp. $34.95
Where the Lightning Strikes: The Lives of American Indian Sacred Places: By Peter Nabokov, Viking 350 pp. Index. $24.95
Who Pooped in the Park? Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area: By Gary D. Robson. Illustrations by Robert Rath Farcountry Press 48 pp. 9 3/8" x 8 1/8". Paperback. $9.95; Adults may roll their eyes at the name of this series for kids, but the titles are guaranteed to grab the attention of junior naturalists and the informative content, worked easily into the narrative of a family visit to the park, make for a fun and enlightening reading experience. Las Vegas (NV) is the site of this family wildlife expedition, where the possibility of bumping into a mountain lion provides some delicious anticipation.
Who Pooped in the Sonoran Desert? Scat and Tracks for Kids: By Gary D. Robson. Illustrations by Robert Rath Farcountry Press 48 pp. 9 3/8" x 8 1/8". Paperback. $9.95; The latest in the series of books that give kids and introduction to the national parks and monuments from a naturalist's point of view. The plotline doesn't vary much from book to book, but the illustrations are good and the information is interesting. Good notes on animal tracks are supplied.
Whole New Life, A (Fiction): By Betsy Thornton, St. Martin's Minotaur 277 pp. $23.95; Set in the fictional southeastern Arizona town of Dudley (Bisbee), Thornton's deftly plotted mystery keeps readers guessing down to the last page as an engaging cast of characters searches for answers to the poisoning deaths of a local woman and a college English professor. [Bruce Dinges]
Whole World Over, The: A Novel (Fiction): By Julia Glass, Pantheon Books 512 pp. $$29.95; Glass, National Book Award-winner of The Three Junes, explores the bonds and fissures of relationships in this gently absorbing novel set partly in Santa Fe. When Greenie Duquette leaves New York City with her young son to prepare gourmet meals for the governor of New Mexico, she and her psychiatrist husband are forced to confront problems in their marriage. The large cast of interlocking characters includes a gay restauranteur, a brain-damaged young woman, and many dogs.
William Harding Carter and the American Army: A Soldier's Story: By Ronald Glenn Machoian, University of Oklahoma Press 388 pp. Index. $39.95; A scholarly study of the life and career of a soldier and military theorist who helped pave the way for the professionalization of the U.S. Army in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Carter served in Arizona during the Apache wars of the 1870s and 1880s.
Witches of Abiquiu, The: The Governor, The Priest, The Genizaro Indians, and the Devil: By Malcolm Ebright and Rick Hendricks University of New Mexico Press 344 pp. Index. $34.95; The remote and isolated Spanish colony of New Mexico was dogged by severe challenges and uncertainty for much of its existence. After being expelled from the region by the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish returned in 1692 to try again. The village of Abiquiu was conceived by the Spaniards as part of a crucial new strategy to live in peace with the Pueblo tribes, which was essential to dealing with even worse problems posed by the Comanches, Apaches and Utes. However, in 1756, the local priest, who opposed the Governor's policy of allowing the Indians to practice their traditional rituals, officially charged that the Indians were practicing witchcraft - and that they bewitched him. A very serious charge, it went straight to the Inquisition. Five decades after the infamous events in the English colony of Salem, the Abiquiu case was the last major witchcraft proceedings in North America. Things didn't turn out quite like one might expect. Based on far-flung documents of the time that came to light only recently and thoroughly researched with other sources, this historical work provides fascinating insight into fundamental aspects of life in colonial New Mexico.
Women and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Mobility, Labor, and Activism: By Doreen J. Mattingly, University of Arizona Press 231 pp. Index.Edited by Doreen J. Mattingly and Ellen R. Hansen. $; Eleven women from both the U.S. and Mexico, provide a scholarly study of women on both sides of the border, considering change over time. Some of the issues discussed are: the maquiladora industry, abortion, emigration, political activism, and environmental and socioeconomic conditions in border towns. A much-needed study.; Eleven women, both from the US and Mexico, provide a scholarly study of women on both sides of the border, considering chante over time. Some of the issues discussed are: the maquiladora industry, abortion, emiration, politial activis, and environmental and socioeconomic conditions that affect women in border areas. A much-needed study.
Women There Don't Treat You Mean, The: Abilene in Song: By Joe W. Specht, State House Press 112 pp. Index.Includes a CD. . $14.95; Country music fans will enjoy reading this little book and listening to the accompanying CD containing some of the songs that have been written about the Texas town of Abilene. In addition, one can find a list of 27 songs that contain a reference to the town. The author provides biographies of some of the recording artists and writers of Abilene songs including George Hamilton, Bob Gibson, Ernest Tubb, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash.; This slender volume introduces readers to the musicians, songwriters, and songs that have taken their inspiration from (or at least mention) the easy-to-rhyme West Texas town. Photographs and interviews make it a good jumping-off point for serious students of country and popular music. Notes, lyrics, and a six-song CD are included.
Working Wilderness: The Malpai Borderlands Group and the Future of the Western Range: By Nathan Freeman Sayre, Rio Nuevo Publishers 176 pp. Index. $24.95; The Malpai Group formed in 1992 to preserve ranching in the desert grasslands in far southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. The ranchers there banded together to study and promote sustainable grazing practices that also may enhance conservation of a wide range of plant and animal species. Along the way they have employed a number of researchers, including Sayre, to look at biological and rangeland problems from an ecological perspective. The underlying concepts are that humans are part of nature; wilderness, beauty, utility, and ecological change can go hand in hand; humans are more successful when they work with natural processes than against them; and wild lands can serve a wide range of human values, including livestock production. The book looks at their efforts, judges their successes, and asks if the lessons learned apply to other rangelands across the American West. An interesting community of cowhands and ranchers is a large part of this story. Some readers will see this book as slick propaganda for ranchers who are trying to control public lands; others will view it as a model for productive rangeland management here and across the New West. In time the science, the economics, and the land itself will tell. [Bill Broyles]
World at My Fingertips, The: By Steve Welker, OPA Publishing 210 pp. $14.00
Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution: Rebels in the Literary Imagination of Mexico: By Max Parra, University of Texas Press 185 pp. Index. $45.00 cloth, $19.95 pbk; One of the most charismatic leaders of the greatest popular uprising in Mexican history, Pancho Villa was engulfed in a haze of conflicting propaganda and remains a mysterious and controversial figure to this day. Written by a professor of Latin American literature for a university audience, Professor Parra’s very scholarly work explores the cultural development of this national icon and the revolution by examining selected Mexican literary works from the formative years that followed, 1925-1940. In the process, it also provides interesting insight into how real people and events are transformed into “history.”
Yellow Cab (Fiction): By Robert Leonard, University of New Mexico Press 179 pp. Index. $18.95; With his wife incapacitated by her pregnancy, anthropology professor Robert Leonard addressed his young family's temporary financial crisis by moonlighting as a cab driver. It seems cab drivers do see it all. Seen through the eyes of an anthropologist, this collection of anecdotes and stories from his experience offers some interesting insights and memorable vignettes of Albuquerque as few have ever shared in writing.

Pima County Public Library

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