ISSUE 486

NON-FICTION

Western Places American Myths: How We Think about the West edited by Gary J. Hausladen, 2003. University of Nevada Press, Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV 89557-0076, www.nvbooks.nevada.edu, 360p., 6 1/8" x 9 1/4", $49.95, hard 0-87417-531-3.

Scholars here enter into a lively discussion of the far-reaching implications of the popular perception of the West while also examining our understanding of the region's geography. The West has always held a larger than life persona in our imaginations and to examine it is to try to come to understand this mythic implications. Perhaps to understand how the West is part of our psyche, to understand the implications of the mythology in our lives and minds, is to understand the Western mindset itself. Perhaps most important is the examination of this world view that perhaps is the force of capitalism and globalization. Understanding Western Mythology may be the most important undertaking in examining and slowing the historical and current destructive exploitive rationale. Delving into the intricacies of this mythology, the essays included here explore such issues as the relationship between the American West and the academic field of historical geography, female and minority perspectives, and culture of the region. Finally, western movies are examined for such issues as settlement and utopianism, as well as empire and territorial expansion.

Shooting Cowboys and Indians: Silent Western Films, American Culture, and the Birth of Hollywood by Andrew Brodie Smith, 2003. University Press of Colorado, 5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C, Boulder, Colorado 80303, 230p., $34.95, hard 0-87081-746-9.

What may seem to be a century of light, gimmicky entertainment is in fact the projection of a developing and changing American mythology. While other scholarly books have shown the historical parallel of westerns and American social and economic change, from entreprenerial individualism to broadening economic, political and social concerns, and then the impact of western's ideaological messages and gender representations, this book examines the silent era of westerns as a truly significant establishment of the ideals and conventions that began the entire genre and thus is an examination of other ideaological implications. Smith writes, "I see as the two major gaps in the literature on the western: the failure to examine closely silent-era films and the failure to understand the genre's evolving conventions as a function of larger changes within the industry" (3). Interesting, in this context Smith examines the development of the American film industry. The outcome is an alternative viewpoint about westerns, the birth of Hollywood, and the creation of popular screen images.

The Divorce Seekers: A Photo Memoir of a Nevada Dude Wrangler by William and Sandra McGee, 2004. BMC Publications, 1-800-431-1579, 1397 St. James Drive, St. Helena, CA 94574, www.BMCpublications.com, 444p., 502 b/w illustrations, 8 1/2" x 11", $49.95, hard 0-9701678-1-4.

It is a fascinating pitch: What would it be like to work on a dude ranch twenty-one miles south of the city which has just become the quicky divorce capital of the world? The true stories are just as intriguing as the idea. It makes a fascinating story: the characters that come and go, there obviously to untangle themselves from balls and chains, fill their days with "'private' riding lessons" and "bar-hopping in the saloons of Virginia City." But the book also examines other issues such as the business of the migratory divorce trade, the high profile divorces such as the Nelson Rockefeller divorce, and even briefly looks at the history of dude ranching in the West.

Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future by Peter Schrag, 1998, 2004. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 94704, www.ucpress.edu, 344p., $18.95, soft 0-520-24387-0.

It is commonly thought that California leads the nation in social, economic, and political change. Paradise Lost delves into the specifics of those activities which could best tell the direction of this movement. In a new preface, Schrag looks in detail at the recall of Governor Gray Davis and the election that signaled a demand for change. Schrag examines the influence of unpopular propositions, Hispanic votes, and even the ideology of California as the promised land. Critical of what has become of politics in California, Schrag warns of the dire consequences for the rest of the country.

Texas Almanac 2004-2005 edited by Elizabeth Cruce Alvarez and Associate Editor Robert Plocheck, 2004. The Dallas Morning News, PO Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265-5237, Distributed by Texas A&M University Press, www.texasalmanac.com, 672p., $13.95, soft 0-914511-35-1.

This 62nd edition contains updated information on business, transportation, the natural environment, recreation, state and national parks, culture, the arts, health, science, politics, elections, education, the astronomical calendar, civic and religious holidays, county profiles, and maps. New to this edition is a history of the frontier forts of Texas, which were buildt after 1845 to protect settlers pushing west. Also new is the story of Fort Anahuac, established on the Gulf Coast when Texas was still part of Mexico, and important in the Texas Revolution. It documents the narrative of Polish Texas, which is part of the Texas Almanac's series on ethnic and cultural diversity in the Lone Star State. This edition also gives the most recent population estimates since the 2000 U.S. Census.

Believing in Place: A Spiritual Geography of the Great Basin by Richard V. Francaviglia, 2003. University of Nevada Press, Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV 89557-0076, www.nvbooks.nevada.edu, 312p., 6.125" x 9.25", $24.95, hard 0-87417-542-9.

Is there a connection between environment and spirituality? Francaviglia believes that "faith and landscape conspire to resurrect old myths and create new ones" as he "examines the varying human perceptions of and relationships with the Great Basin landscape, from the region's Native American groups to contemporary tourists and politicians, to determine the spiriutal issues that have shaped our connections with this place." Written at a time when faith and spirituallity are at the forefront of American introspection, Francaviglia finds a truth worth contemplating: could the environment of the Great Basin "resonate in the spiritual lives of all people" who come to know it? It is a fascinating proposition.

Gateways to the Southwest: The Story of Arizona State Parks by Jay M. Price, 2004. The University of Arizona Press, 355 S. Euclid, Ste. 103, Tucson, AZ 85719, www.uapress.arizona.edu, 260p., 6" x 9", $45., soft 0-8165-2287-1.

There may be no place on earth more majectic and beautiful than the vast geographical phenomena of the Southwest that includes Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, the Great Sand Dunes, and the Grand Canyon. Tracing the development and history of these national parks, Price looks at the importance of their presence to the Southwest and to America at large. Exploring such topics as "the challenge of creating state parks in Arizona," to the challenges posed by eras in which they were created. Price also looks at the different issues of water-based recreation versus non lake-based. Importantly, he does address "a growing sensitivity among urbanized westerners to the environmental threats to the region."

The Price of Poverty: Money, Work, and Culture in the Mexican American Barrio by Daniel Dohan, 2003. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 94704, www.ucpress.edu, 295p., $24.95, soft 0-520-23889-3.

Now that Texas has officially been declared a minority majority state, a trend that promises to follow in more states, the growing issues facing immigrants and U.S. born Hispanic citizens should rise to the forefront of American politics. This work tells of the growing importance of seeing the challenges faced by impovershed California communities and the ramifications at large. Using two years of ethnographic fieldwork, Dohan a true picture of immigrants "getting by on low wage babysitting and dish-cleaning jobs." He explores the fundamental questions underlying persistent poverty, crime, and welfare.

Prayer on Top of the Earth: The Spiritual Universe of the Plains Apaches by Kay Parker Schweinfurth, 2002. University Press of Colorado, 5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C, Boulder, Colorado 80303, 239p., hard 0-87081-656-X.

Schweinfurth writes, "Personal Indian narrative is powerful and undoubtedly the best means to evoke understanding of and empathy for a different culture" (xix). In her book she seeks to gather old and new material and bring them to one text about the Plains Apaches. (In an attempt to grant their wish she tries not to label them as Kiowa Apaches, a label they wholeheartedly reject). She also seeks to give a social history and "provide the non-Indian population with a rare insight into the all-embracing Indian spiritual world--a world of nature spirits, pan-Indian religions, and Christianity." Using firsthand accounts that have been passed down, she tells of the deep spiritual connectedness with the natural world, the insight found through animals, and the long building frustration for outside valueing of their culture. The work is based on the studies done by William E. Bittle.

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West by Michael Moore, 2003. Museum of New Mexico Press, PO Box 2087, Sante Fe, New Mexico 87504-2087, 368p., 52 Color Photographs, 148 Line Drawings, 134 Maps, 6 1/8" x 9 1/4", $24.95, soft 0-89013-454-5.

This is an expanded edition covering one hundred and twenty-nine medicinal plants that can be found in the Southwest and their therapeutic qualities. The index covers hundreds of common ailments and conditions and then provides advice for treatment that is not normally covered by traditional medicine. The book also details where the plants can be found with illustrations of each and geographical location maps. The author is the founder and director of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine and has written other herbal manuals.

Ditches Across the Desert: Irrigation in the Lower Pecos Valley by Stephen Bogener, 2003. Texas Tech University Press, Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79410, 304p., 6" x 9", $34.95, hard 0-89672-509-X.

What could seem to some an unimportant place in the world and an equally unimportant topic, is in fact hugely integral to anyone who seeks to understand how a goverment and investors could hope to take advantage of even a harsh environment--here, the vast arid lands of Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. This historical scheme is a microcosm of the system at large. Bogener writes, "[John Wesley] Powell's survey [of the area] threatened to disrupt the image of turning the desert into a corporate garden, many Americans--not the least of whom were western congressmen--considered irrigation companies as America at its best. Farmers laboring side by side to transform a wasteland into something productive harked back to Jeffersonian notions of yeoman democracy" (5). Bogener focuses on the foreign and eastern investors who sought their advantage in the area as much as the people who were actually there. Bogener looks at the failure of these propositions and ultimately at the Pecos River itself, "todat a mere shadow of its former self (10).

Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West by Robert K. DeArment, 2003. University of Oklahoma Press, 4100 28th Avenue NW, Norman, OK 73069-8219, oupress.com, 256p., $29.95, hard 0-8061-3559-X.

Historian Robert DeArment set out to find the records of unknown outlaws and take that information to write biographical portraits of these unknown men. By doing so he brings more historical life to the forefront, giving a broader picture of the lawlessness that played its own role in forging the West. Twelve lively and untamable men are unearthed here: John Bull, Pat Desmond, Mart Duggan, Milt Yarberry, Dan Tucker, George Goodell, Bill Standifer, Charley Perry, Barney Riggs, Dan Bogan, Dave Kemp, and Jeff Kidder.

Reader of the Purple Sage: Essays on Western Writers and Environmental Literature by Ann Ronald with a foreword by Melody Graulich, 2003. University of Nevada Press, Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV 89557-0076, www.nvbooks.nevada.edu, 272p., 6.125" x 9.25", $21.95, soft 0-87417-524-0.

One thing is certain, Ann Ronald found a home in Nevada in all the senses of the word. She brings to this collection of essays a sincere admiration for the land and literature of this chosen place. Ronald has a passion for the feeling the land creates and the literature that it has given inspiration to, and for the writers of the west, discussing such authors as Wallace Stegner, Larry McMurtry, and Edward Abbey. Here she examines Lonesome Dove and it's claim to be the greatest western written. She looks at Wallace Stegner's connection to the environment, Edward Abbey's earnest plea for protecting natural resources, and compares Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider with its forerunner Shane. Her enthusiasm and passion for her topic are contagious. It is a human touch to what seemed to be claimed by only men. The author is also to be commended upon her plans of an Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment and her development of that field at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Real Indians: Indentity and Survival of Native America by Eva Marie Garroutte, 2003. University of California Press, Berkeley 94720, www.ucpress.edu, 250p., $19.95, soft 0-520-22977-0.

Garroutte begins her book with a story of a man who finds public adoration when he plays on his supposed Indian heritage. It is a moving story because it demonstrates the many issues surrounding the true meaning of identity and the true as well as the questionable values of American's toward culture and heritage. This important work addresses many issues at the forefront of this debate: tribal land rights, the effects of political intrusion on tribes, political motivations, as well as adjustments to tribal enrollment requirements. Garroutte writes, "It is my goal in this book to explore the identity-making process among American Indians . . . examine the competing definitions of Indian identity--of which there turn out to be many" (6).

Life in Laredo: A Documentary History of the Laredo Archives by Robert D. Wood, S.M., 2004. University of North Texas Press, PO Box 311336, Denton TX 76203-1336, www.unt.edu/untpress, 211p., hard 1-57441-173-X.

With the story behind the found Spanish documents in a government building in Laredo and the long subsequent battle of who owned them and where they belong, it is a wonder they are here at all. Through the sheer will of dedicated workers, and finally here to Robert Wood, the story inside the documents of the Laredo Archives is published. Covered are the first one hundred years of this 251 year old city. With primary source evidence, Wood lies out the "details of citizens' beliefs, cultural values, efforts to make a living, political seesawing, petty quarreling, and constant struggles against local Indians." Researchers will love the availability of these immediate recordings.

Hellcats: The 12th Armored Division in World War II by John C. Ferguson, 2004. State House Press, McMurry University, Abilene, TX 79697, 160p., 6" x 9", $16.95, soft 1-880510-88-X.

The director of the 12th Amormored Division Memorial Museum in Abilene, Texas has written a narrative documenting the short-lived, but high-flown days of one of World War II's eighty-nine combat divisions. Created purposely for the war and dismantled afterwards, the story of these men include the liberating of Nazi death camps. Ferguson is passionate about his subject.