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Acequia: Water-Sharing, Sanctity, and Place
By Sylvia Rodriguez . School for Advanced Research Press . 187 pp. Index. . $27.95 .
With increasing stories of water shortages and near-drought conditions in parts of the United States, this book about water sharing and conservation through the Acequia program in northern New Mexico, offers one alternative that water users should take seriously. The author provides a detailed history along with color plates and maps. [Patricia Etter]
If you haven’t heard that the arid Southwest is facing water shortages, you’ve been beachside too long. In this academic but readable book, Sylvia Rodríguez takes us along canals in the region of Taos, New Mexico, to show us how early Spanish farmers captured and distributed water with “techniques and practices … sustained by a moral economy and religious worldview.” She focuses on what is known as the Abeyta water rights case. The author proposes that the old ways may offer clues and solutions for modern agrarians and communities. Along the way she connects historical accounts, interviews, and hard analysis. When the spas run dry and the golf courses brown out, maybe our leaders will find the political will to address rampant growth and water conservation. [Bill Broyles]


Alice Cooper, Golf Monster
By Alice Cooper, Keith & Kent Zimmerman . Crown Publishers . 260 pp. Index. $24.95 .
In a book that is part autobiography and part self-help manual, the legendary shock rocker describes growing up in Phoenix, his rise to superstardom and the famous people he met along the way, and his lifesaving transformation from alcohol addiction to golf addiction. Readers quickly discover that Cooper, who now lives in Scottsdale, is a self-deprecating celebrity, with a disarming "I-can't-believe-I-just-met-Elvis" quality, and an accomplished amateur athlete whose "twelve-steps" apply equally to life and golf. [Bruce Dinges]
Rocker Alice Cooper talks about his life, career, and addiction to golf. A few early chapters talk about his student days at Cortez High in Phoenix, Arizona, where he discovered “girls,” was a four-year varsity letterman in cross country and, by the way, started a band. His stories are told with endearing wit and self-deprecation. A “must read” for golfers and much more readable than I expected. [Bill Broyles]

Amazing Girls of Arizona: True Stories of Young Pioneers
By Jan Cleere . Twodot . 185 pp. Young Adult. $12.95 .

Arizona history, and the lives of pioneering women, are elucidated in these biographical sketches of Olive Ann Oatman, Atancia Santa Cruz, Laurette Lovell, Anna Magdalena Box, Elith Olive Stratton, Mildred Black, Edith Jane Bass, Helen "Dowawisnima," Eva Antonia Wilbur, Ruth Okimoto, and 70 years of women ball players. Ages 10-15.

Young Adult
American Indian Nonfiction: an Anthology of Writings, 1760s-1930s
By Bernd Peyer . University of Oklahoma Press . 401 pp. . $26.95 .
Here is a collection of political writings by missionary-trained American Indians. Also included is a comprehensive biography and a list of both published and unpublished writings of each. All culture areas are represented. We hear from the likes of Will Rogers, Luther Standing Bear, John Ross, Sarah Winnemucca, William Apes, Gertrude Bonnin, Elias Boudinout and many more. Every collection of Native works should count this fine reference resource among their holdings. [Patricia Etter]


American West, The: A Modern History, 1900 to the Present
By Richard W. Etulain, Michael P. Malone . University of Nebraska Press . 411 pp. Index. First published in 1989. This is the Second Edition, featuring a new chapter covering the mid-1980s to 2005 and bibliographic essays on books about the modern American West.. $19.95 .

Authors Etulain and Malone navigate the middle course between the extremes of Frederick Jackson Turner's heroic vision of the triumphal West and the darker vision of the New Western historians, emphasizing the complexity of Western history and dealing, as Etulain notes, "...with its limitations and successes." This second edition of the volume originally published by the University of Nebraska Press in 1989 contains a new preface and an extensive chapter covering the period from the mid-1980s to 2005. Etulain provided the new preface; the newly-added chapter is a synthesis of his research and that of Michael Malone, who died in 1999.

First published in 1989. This is the Second Edition, featuring a new chapter covering the mid-1980s to 2005 and bibliographic essays on books about the modern American West.
Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration
By Sam Quinones . University of New Mexico Press . 318 pp. . $24.95 .

Nine pieces of literary journalism by a prize-winning reporter and border issues specialist, focusing on Mexican immigration to the U.S and the effect on the economy of the flow of migrants both within Mexico and to the United States.

Arizona Fishin' Holes
By Arizona Game and Fish Department . Arizona Game and Fish Department . 44 pp. $6.00 .
This booklet is as essential as a fishing pole and license. This reissue of a perennial favorite provides indispensable information for anglers on places to fish, shop, and camp, and special regulations. Don’t leave home without it. [Bill Broyles]

Arizona Journey Guide: a Driving & Hiking Guide to Ruins, Rock Art, Fossils & Formations
By Jon Kramer, Julie Martinez, Vernon Morris . Adventure Publications . 272 pp. Index. $16.95 .
This is a slick and well-presented guide to archaeological sites and rock art in Arizona. It includes everything one needs to know about camp sites and lodging, fees, access and the author's rating. This author should be put on desert rations for giving detailed access to some sites. For example, he provides a photograph of petroglyphs at Sherwood Ranch Pueblo along with a photograph of NO TRESPASSING sign. Moreover, he suggests that one can just walk past the fence for a brief look, ending, "We're not, of course, advocating you bend the rules, but hey, its your life" (page 206). For that and other reasons, I can not recommend the book. [Patricia Etter]
In turns this book is interesting (information on fossils and archaeology), pretty (pictures), flippant (encouraging us to disregard state laws, page 207), arrogant (dismissive of Native American guides, page 233), inaccurate (National Park Service does not manage Agua Fria National Monument, page 27), and repetitive (the photo of a “prairie kingsnake” on page 139 also appears on page 111, and this snake sure looks like what folks in Arizona call a bull snake or gopher snake). [Bill Broyles]

Arizona Sheriffs: Badges and Bad Men
By Jane Eppinga . Rio Nuevo Publishers . 192 pp. Index. $16.95 .
Each Arizona county elects its sheriff and Eppinga has supplied a list of those that have served since the late 1800s, along with those killed in the line of duty. Included are many legendary events such as the Pleasant Valley War and the incident at the OK Corral to illustrate what early sheriffs had to face in the line of duty. She also has plenty of interesting tales to tell about modern sheriffs and how their jobs have changed over time. The posse on horseback, for example, is a thing of the past, often replaced instead by a computer search. [Patricia Etter]

Arizona Trails: South Region
By Peter Massey, Angela Titus, Jeanne Wilson . Adler Publishing Company . 225 pp. . $24.95 .

This is a guide to selected rough-dirt back roads and four-wheel drive roads in southern Arizona.

Arizona Water Policy: Management Innovations in an Urbanizing, Arid Region
By Bonnie G. Colby, Katharine L. Jacobs . Resources for the Future . 247 pp. Index. $75.00 .
Notable Mention
Challenged by insuring a sustainable water supply for Arizona, some 30 experts have combined to write of Arizona Water Policy and its implications for the future. Are Arizona's water supplies enough to sustain the enormous population growth over the past 50 years? The challenges are numerous in a state that is experiencing drought conditions. The authors provide graphs, maps, statistics, and photographs to illustrate the various problems. Every lawmaker in the state should be reading this book. [Patricia Etter]

Arizona Wildlife Viewing Guide
By Sharen Adams, Sharon Mallman . Adventure Publications . 240 pp. Index. . $14.95 .
Where can we watch wildlife in Arizona? This handy guide to 128 parks, refuges, and natural areas provides all the information we need to get there and what we may see. It is one of the Watchable Wildlife series. Excellent photos of wildlife and terrain let us know what to expect. [Bill Broyles]


Arizona's Spanish Barbs: The Story of the Wilbur-Cruce Horses
By Silke Schneider . Outskirts Press . 89 pp. . $25.95 .
If you’ve read Eva Antonia Wilbur Cruce’s book A Beautiful Cruel Country, you will remember the horses that traced their lineage back to the Barbary Coast of North Africa. They were a durable desert horse brought to America by early Spaniards, and modern Wilbur-Cruce “Barb” horses are listed as one of the original strains. Many photos and the author’s personable stories introduce readers to this magnificent animal. [Bill Broyles]


Arizona: No Ordinary Journey
By Mary Jo Churchwell . Ironwood Editions . 290 pp. $16.00 .
At 60+ Churchwell's wanderlust kicked in and, after more than two years' worth of library research at her local public library (Palm Springs) she sold most of her belongings, packed the rest in her Saturn, and began an 8-month odyssey around the state of Arizona. She writes well, mixing her personal experiences and observations with those she has read. A great read for the novice Arizonan and a welcome reminder for those of us who have inhabited the state for a few decades. [W. David Laird]

Arizona: Real Photo Postcards: History & Portfolio
By Jeremy Rowe . Carl Mautz Pub . 182 pp. Index. $25.00 .
Notable Mention
These photo postcards of Arizona scenes, people, and activities between 1890 and 1920 are clearly reproduced and give interesting glimpses of the state’s history. My favorites are Chuckwalla Slim and his truck in Papago Park, the fire at C. S. Fly’s Tombstone studio, and a sunken car that tried to drive across a swollen creek in Globe—careless drivers are still doing that. The written commentary helps explain our fascination with postcards and provides guidelines for collectors. [Bill Broyles]

Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier, 1970-2000
By Evelyn A. Schlatter . University of Texas Press . 250 pp. Index. . $19.95 PB, 50.00 HB .

An analysis of how White Supremacists, dissatisfied with progressive society and disenfranchised by affirmative action and immigration, are increasingly looking to the west as a land of opportunity for their movement. The author indicates that many of these groups have co-opted the region's mythology and environment as a means of promoting their exclusionist ideas, which are winning converts among mainstream whites.

Ask A Mexican!
By Gustavo Arellano . Scribner . 240 pp. . $20.00 .

This is a collection of the author's newspaper Q&A column, Ask a Mexican! which first appeared in the alternative newspaper, the OC Weekly, of Orange County, California. With a biting wit and striking candidness, he answers curious, hilarious, and just plain racist questions about the Mexican-American condition from all over the US.

At the Heart of Texas: 100 Years of the Texas State Historical Association, 1897-1997
By Richard B. McCaslin . Texas State Historical Association, Austin . 334 pp. Index. 7x10, cloth. Extensive notes and appendices that include the organization's constitution and by-laws and a chronological list of TSHA publications dating to 1917. Also included is a CD-ROM entitled "The Future of Texas History is Now.". $39.95 .
McCaslin has written an interesting institutional history of one of the country's most prestigious state historical organizations. Focusing on the successive tenures of the association's ten directors, he traces the TSHA's many struggles and its enduring accomplishments. Much of the Association's success, McCaslin demonstrates, has grown out of a fruitful, if not always easy, relationship with the University of Texas, a relationship the university has recently announced its intention to sever. Although this book will appeal primarily to TSHA members, it also offers inspiration, and some cautionary lessons, for other state historical societies. [Bruce Dinges]


7x10, cloth. Extensive notes and appendices that include the organization's constitution and by-laws and a chronological list of TSHA publications dating to 1917. Also included is a CD-ROM entitled "The Future of Texas History is Now."
Avenging Victorio: a Novel of the Apache Insurgency in New Mexico, 1881
By Dave DeWitt . Rio Grande Books . 258 pp. . $24.95 .

Based on years of local historical research, this historical novel by New Mexico author David DeWitt tells the story of how a small band of Apaches led by an elderly chief went back on the warpath to protest broken agreements and mistreatment, taking on the US Cavalry at the height of its deployment--and winning.