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Bill Broyles Picks

Crossing the Yard: Thirty Years as a Prison Volunteer
By Richard Shelton. University of Arizona Press
Great Cacti, The: Ethnobotany and Biogeography of Columnar Cacti
By David A. Yetman. University of Arizona Press
David Yetman, host of the popular The Desert Speaks television series, takes us on a fascinating field trip to meet impressive large columnar cacti-—the saguaros, organ pipes, senitas, and cardons that symbolize Southwest culture. In his endearing Yetman style, the visit is highly informative, relaxed, and fun, and there are far more cacti species to meet than we ever expected. Although the book covers the Western Hemisphere, its emphasis is on the Southwest. This grand book itself is especially attractive and furnishes us with a whole new appreciation of these spiny giants with their delectable flowers, nutritious fruits, and statuesque profiles.
Hecho en Tejas : an Anthology of Texas-Mexican Literature
By Dagoberto Gilb. University of New Mexico Press
Whether you are immersed in the spirit of La Raza or are an outsider looking to read some captivating and endearing poems, short stories, and essays about authentic people doing human things and asking universal questions, this book has wide appeal. The 104 selections range from personal to historical, from bleak to humorous, from youthful to retrospective. It is puro Southwest, “A celebration, a literary pachanga with cold beer, frijoles, and … smoked meat [folded] into a couple of corn tortillas….” My favorite line, one showing the spirit of the book, is from a poem by Angela de Hoyos: “I growl at the world/ and the world/ returns the complement.” This is a Southwest book if there ever was one.
Murray Springs: a Clovis Site with Multiple Activity Areas in the San Pedro Valley, Arizona
By C. Vance Haynes, Bruce B. Huckell. University of Arizona Press
Discovered in 1966, the Murray Springs archaeology site in southeastern Arizona was occupied by people of the Clovis Culture. Artifacts found so far date back to 13,000 years before the present. This book is an especially timely, interesting, and readable summary of one of the world’s most important mammoth-kill sites, that may also hold keys to settling a heated and intriguing debate on who first settled the Americas. With its unexcavated strata, Murray Springs is “a worthwhile place to search for pre-Clovis evidence” (p. 227). The illustrations are excellent, and overall the book is an exceptional effort to clarify complicated archaeology for a larger audience.
Ribbon of Green, The: Change in Riparian Vegetation in the Southwestern United States
By S. A. Leake, R. M. Turner, Robert H. Webb. University of Arizona Press
For my money this is the most significant 2007 book about the Southwest. Its topic is water, our rivers and streams, and if water is not on your mind, then you must have just moved here from Minnesota. The authors compare historic photos of Southwest rivers with recent photos, and then describe and explain what has--- or has not--- changed. The result is an incredible compilation of well-reasoned, well-written, and visual water history. Reading the early chapters on climate, hydrology, and value of riverside vegetation, and the concluding chapters on changes and our future, plus one of the middle chapters on your own favorite river, will be a highly rewarding day for you.
Sometimes the Blues: the Letters and Diaries of Frank Hammon, a Lonely Frontiersman in Globe and Phoenix, 1882-1889
By Susan Clardy, Frank Malcolm Hammon. Arizona Historical Society
This special book operates on three levels: a working man’s diary, history of the day, and a relative’s heartfelt search for her family history. Frank Hammon was a rancher, small-time businessman, lawman, road hand, and miner, all of which may sound adventurous, but in reality these weren’t glamorous careers, just ways to earn the next paycheck as he and many others scrambled to stave off hunger and survive poverty. Back-breaking work, dollar loans from friends, and lonely days are punctuated with town dances, family celebrations, and occasionally a big payday. His enduring optimism is inspiring, but the barehanded view of frontier Arizona is so authentic that my hands got calloused just turning the pages.
What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest
By Susan Wittig Albert. University of Texas Press
A friend recently suggested that we put a ten-year moratorium on self-indulgent, gaggy essays about nature. If so, we’ll need to make an exception for this book, for it is truly exceptional. These collected essays and poems by 82 contributors jump with spirit, keen observations, and satisfying journeys. We can relate and enjoy. The authors, real people worth knowing, include Ellen Meloy, Denise Chávez, Ann Zwinger, Mary Sojourner, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Joy Harjo as well as worthy newcomers. Guys, don’t let the title throw you—you’d be lucky to listen to any of these gals around your campfire or at least read their words by firelight. The book is a bargain read.
Zero at the Bone: Rewriting Life After a Snakebite
By Erec Toso. University of Arizona Press
Ostensibly the self-told story of a man who faces a tough medical journey after being zapped by a rattlesnake, this exceptionally good book evolves into a universal search for meaning. The author eloquently explores the role of other “serpents” -- danger, family, success, ageing -- in our daily lives. His words are vivid, describing a rattler as “alert as a samurai, still as a stone,” and penetrating -- ‘I walk the last stretch to the house before showering the cold shower of necessity, hurry, and livelihood.” Through it all, this survivor maintains his infectious respect for snakes and his love of desert.

About Bill Broyles

Bill Broyles, a Tucson writer, naturalist, and retired teacher, sees books from the writer's and the reader's perspectives…and cheers for both. He invites you to "Stack'em up. Of the many fun and informative books I reviewed this year, these eight are the ones I most remember and use since first reading them. They left such a lasting impression that I've purchased copies of each. It was a good year for books and bookshelf makers."