Reviews (1)

Northern New Mexico lovers¿
This is the book to buy if you've ever floated through the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos and, as you passed beneath the John Dunn Bridge, someone on your trip asked, "who exactly was John Dunn?" As a river guide you have full authority (and some would argue a professional obligation) to make up whatever answer you like, but I've found it helpful to occasionally sprinkle facts among the many assertions I've made to trusting passengers over the years. This slim volume, only 163 pages, is full of wonderful information about the life of John Dunn for whom that bridge is named, as well as northern New Mexico from the late 1800's through 1953, the year Mr. Dunn died. By reading this book you will be well prepared for passengers' questions and, as a bonus, you'll glimpse a lifestyle that predates most of us. For me the few early photos of the Rio Grande, all from pre-boating years, and the building of the John Dunn Bridge are alone worth the price of the book. The regional history and the life of John Dunn are exquisite bonuses.

John Dunn apparently was an irascible and only sporadically honest fellow, the sort of individual whose life story is fun to read about. His is not an exception. You'll learn about his early years in Texas, his later life in New Mexico, and the various legal and not-so-legal enterprises in which he was engaged throughout. I don't think I would have liked being around John Dunn, but I did enjoy reading about his adventures. I suspect you will too. ... Read more

Book Description

Historians have considered the contributions of many groups--from outlaws and lawmen to Harvey Girls and railroaders--in the making of the modern American Southwest. But few writers have considered the unique role of children or the powerful impact this vast region of the United States has had on these youngsters through value-forming adventures as they make their transitions to adulthood. Richard Melzer has taken a large step in filling this void with a major examination of the diverse experiences of children growing up in different regions, in different cultures, and in different periods. Using New Mexico as a focus, and drawing on memoirs, oral histories, diaries, and autobiographies, Melzer has compiled the most thorough, captivating, and compelling set of true stories about childhood ever to appear in print. His collection, ranging from Billy the Kid to Douglas MacArthur, is destined to become a classic in American Southwest historical literature. ... Read more

Book Description

Historical biography of colorful Southwesterner, Ben F. Williams. Senator Barry Goldwater wrote: "Should become part of the biography of The West."Introduction by Tom Lea, author of "The Brave Bulls" and "The Wonderful Country." ... Read more

Book Description

Matilda's Story:The California Years continues the saga of Matilda Randolph, opening with her marriage in 1867 and following her life until 1905.

The story paints a vivid picture of life in a small California farming commuity in the last half of the nineteenth century and how they coped with a life often harsh and cruel, but also filled withlove and laughter ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Ramble on....
It sounded good. And I could relate to parts of it, as a recent transplant to Denver and having just experienced the deaths of close relatives. But the pomposity was too much. Some interesting stuff, but a lot of disorganized rambling. It feels like Gessner is just trying too hard to write the book he wants to be so proud of. The word "narcissistic" pops up a lot in the book. Totally appropriately. Does the guy mention beer in every single essay in the book? Yes, David, you're cool - you carried beer along on your hike.

Confessions of a Tree Hugger
Though I enjoyed much of this book immensely, calling it a book would be a bit generous. Though its major theme of the importance of a person establishing connectedness to a place rings true, the disparate chapters and their topics do not lead to a book that is greater than the sum of its parts. It stands better as a series of essays. Some chapters are full of the overwrought musings of an overly sentimental tree hugger, others are just too downright giddy and reek of so much gosh gee willikers amazement as to be pure drivel. There is also a narcissistic tone to the book that detracts from many of the aithors very moving and genuine observations. However, other sections ring so true that they should be lifted straight out of the book and put on a travel brochure. Mr. Gessner is at his best when waxing eloquently about the past (his own or anyone else's) or when he is on his bike ( a kindred spirit with this reviewer), but when he drifts into reflections on the zen of the moment it seems just too drippingly forced for this rreviewers taste.

Gessner: a contemporary literary genius
From start to finish, I was deeply moved by Gessner's insightful and creative prose. This is perhaps the greatest book I've ever read. Thank you, Mr. Gessner, for making an invaluable contribution to contemporary American literature.

Like making a good friend
After enjoyng Gessner's first book about Cape Cod (A Wild, Rank Place), gave this a try and found the same honest voice and distinctive viewpoint. The kind of book you want to read all at once. He shares the most personal experiences in funny, vivid and sincere writing. Really good, makes you want to invite him over for a beer, or a bike ride, and hear more.

An entertaining and elightening journey through the West
I just finished reading an advanced copy of David Gessner's second book, and I have one word: Fantastic! Mountain biking, skiing, hiking -- it's an adventure book for the thinking person. Gessner writes beautifully about the Rockies, Utah, and Anasazi ruins. He integrates everything he sees and learns into his own (and the reader's) understanding of his life and the people in it. Under the Devil's Thumb is rich in characters and setting. Like a great novel, it keeps you turning the pages. A fine, fine piece of literature! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One Woman's Adventure
A Cowman's Wife is a fasinating account of one woman's adventure in south-western Arizona. Mary Kidder Rak captured this chapter of her life in very personal and humurous terms as well as giving us a glimpse into ranch life in the early 1900's. If you're looking for a book that gives you an up close and personal view of the life of an adventurous woman or of life in the American SW., this is a must read! PS: Check your maps for the ranch Mary and her husband lived on, it's still a landmark! ... Read more

Book Description

RetroSpace is a collection of the seminal articles of the noted critic Bruce Novoa on the history and theory of Chicano literature. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent insight on the youth of a orthodox mormon girl
Phyllis Barber allows the reader to gain a intimate view of the clash between values of 1950's Las Vegas and her family's vallues of Mormonism. Barber struggles to use her talent of rhythm in a city celebrated for the excesses of entertainment versus her family's definition of proper use of talent within the confines of her Mormon culture. Barber uses the symbolism of marriage to both worlds to best explain the dilemna she is in. To Bobby Jack ( a current boyfriend) marriage meant a wheezing minister, ye ... Read more

Book Description

"You don't become President of the United States.You are given temporary custody of an institution called the presidency... It is a sacred trust and an honor beyond words or measure."

Few politicians have come to represent their era as definitely as former president Ronald Reagan.Now, for the first time in one remarkable audio production, this preeminent leader's story is told in his own unmistakable voice, through a collection of his most memorable speeches, public addresses and debates.

Here is a lively and fascinating look at a rare politician, a patriot who embodied our national spirit in its best guise, and who made us all feel proud to be an American.It is at once an historical treasure and a fitting tribute to one of our country's best-loved icons. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ronald Reagan A Great Man
Loved this touching portrait of a great American and wonderful human being.Giuliano does a great job in writing, editing, and narratoring this audio.I hope this series continues forever! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A valuable book
Isabel Crawford, a Canadian woman, came to southwest Oklahoma and was a missionary to the Kiowas for ten years. This book is a compilation of her journals which she kept faithfully throughout her years with the Kiowas, with entries that include personal reflection and testimonies from the Kiowa people. Crawford brought a unique perspective to life on a Native American reservation at the turn of the century. Crawford showed that most Kiowas respected her and she also had a favorable view of the Kiowas.

Most of her entries were written from a Christian's perspective and how she tried to share gospel with the Kiowas and in fact, many became Christians because of her. Crawford also with the help of the Kiowas built a church at Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma. Unlike some missionaries who preached to save the "savages", Crawford truly respected their cultural identity and in fact sought a middle ground, where cultural exchange took place. She told them that becoming a Christian would not change their identities.

This book is valuable because it contains speeches, conversations and testimonies given by the Kiowas which can help to increase our understanding of both their culture and the complexity of their relationship with missionaries.

The Missionary Trail
Isabel Crawford came fearlessly among the Kiowa Indians; among the last of the tribes to be confined to reservations. The work of all the missionaries transformed the lives of some of the Kiowa people and gave them a spiritual path that the Kiowa continue to follow. Crawford's recording of the words of these early Kiowa converts have the power to make one laugh and to weep. How poigniant the words of the old Kiowas, the so-called savages. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

wonderful collection of stories
If you've ever wanted to just forget city life and pack up and move to the country, read this book. It's a great collection of non-fiction writing about Drake's life in rural wine country, raising sheep and making wine.

Truly lovely writing!
Barbara Drake has written a sweet and lovely word-picture of her life on the Oregon farm she shares with her husband and their motley group of animals. Although she writes with a tender love for her land, and all that is on it, it is never saccharine, and is actually quite informative for anyone thinking of undertaking this type of lifestyle change.The book is written as a collection of brilliant essays,each filled with pathos,tenderness,and a deep understanding of the dramatic lifestyle changes involved in delving into farming.We meet, and learn to love, her sheep, geese, the sheepherding dogs,and the colorful neighbors. And even her warm and adoring father,who has an especially hilarious relationship with the hugely protective gander who patrols the gaggle of geese on the property, becomes someone you wish you could have met in person. This is one of those truly magical reads that leaves you with an afterglow of satisfaction after it's done. This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the beauty and the magic of nature, the relationship of animal friends, the satisfaction of self-reliance and independence, or just someone who loves simply-beautiful prose. Barbara Drake is a poet at heart.

Praise for Peace at Heart
Drake's book is warm and touching but never mushy. She uses her words with economy to create vivid images that strike the eye, and the mind. I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book. Filled with positive images, and insights that are surprising and touching, it's a great read, I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Book Description

Mary Clearman Blew's aunt Imogene Welch embodied the hard-working values of depression-era western America. In Writing Her Own Life, Blew builds a narrative around excerpts from the diaries Imogene kept during World War II while she taught in rural Montana schools and later in Washington State. Through her diary entries we learn of the war's effects on Imogene as she moved from rural, family-centered life in Montana to independent if somewhat lonelier life in Washington State.

After growing up on an impoverished homestead in Montana, Imogene enjoyed the modest comforts of living in a small town in Washington, including electricity and running water. And she experienced the dramatic changes in a school system under stress from the war: separated families, crowded classrooms, and an increasingly mobile population. Imogene's diaries find her exploring a new landscape, worrying about distant friends and family, coping with her newfangled automobile, enduring roommates, and eventually learning to cherish her independence.

Blew explores the transitional experiences of the young schoolteacher and examines traditional and non-traditional ways in which fiction and creative nonfiction recreate the life recorded in the diaries. Moving beyond Imogene's experiences, Blew asks what an inheritance of family stories and text means to a generation of readers who are experiencing transitions different from Imogene's but no less intense.

Volume 14 in the Literature of the American West series ... Read more