Arizona Books

...lays out new directions for the most pressing problem of our time: How we live. The basic premise is that the physical design of homes, buildings and streets helps or hurts the people who live there and that we cannot continue to use the land to build the kind of infrastructures we are putting in place. A practicing architect with impeccable credentials, Swaback not only set down the reasons why, he also lays out imaginative, practical guidelines for new and better ways to live. The following quote from the book points up the troubled feeling for the quality of life in America shared by many:

Americans sense that something is wrong...we drive by gruesome tragic suburban boulevards of commerce, and we are overwhelmed at the fantastic, awesome, stupefying ugliness of everything in sight-fry pits, big box stores, office units, lube joints, carpet warehouse, parking lagoons, jive plastic townhouse clusters, signs, the highway itself, clogged with cars as though the whole thing had been designed by some diabolical force bent on making human beings miserable."

The root cause of the problem, according to Swaback, is the outmoded apparatus we have put in place to control land use called "zoning." He describes it as a fragmented, uncoordinated process that begets endless sprawl. Zoning laws promote the self-destructive babbles of pro-growth, slow-growth, or no-growth; they also perpetuate endless political infighting and acrimony, but never solve the problem of proper land use. Through examples and case histories, he snows that the cost of sprawl will eventually overwhelm us because it is the harbinger of more pollution and ongoing, declining community values.

Solutions to population growth and density are complex and not easy to come by, by Swaback believes we can must develop more wholesome living environments,. He proposes "Micro Communities" in open space with connected corridors. New stand-alone communities would be situated on dedicated spaces o varying size with a minimum of forty acres or more. All would include single-family homes, condominiums, schools, offices, light manufacturing, support services, and government centers within walking distance of home on tree-shaded pats and bicycle trails. For the more adventuresome, there is a centralized car pool, and public transit.

The author makes a strong case that living center clusters reduce air pollution, traffic congestion, and the rising cost of building, not to mention widespread social deterioration created by sprawl. Micro communities are pedestrian-centered therefore more likely to develop the human qualities of the inhabitants for tolerance and cooperation because we frequently meet our fellow man face to face as neighbors. Culturally, this new design concept encompasses facilities for all levels of education, participation in music, drama, appreciation for architecture, writing, crafts, visual arts, dance, film, theater,and whatever new forms of culture evolve.

Swayback is a practicing architect and original thinker who has mastered the art and disciplines of this craft. In Designing The Future he has used his considerable skills to conceive new and better ways to live by designing an environment that encourages us to become better human beings. His message: Before it's too late, we had better decide whether we are going to ad to American's wealth or systematically destroy all we have been given.

Vernon D. Swaback, AIA, AICP, is the owner-manager of Swaback Partners, a 21-year old Artichectural-Planning organization in Scottsdale, AZ. He moved to Arizona from Chicago in 1957 to become Frank Lloyd Wright's youngest apprentice and remained with the Wright organization 21 years. Designing The Future was published by Arizona State University's Herberger Center for Design Excellence and is in demand as an architectural text throughout the world.

Reviewer's Note: It is this reviewer's opinion Designing The Future is deserving of best-seller status because of its original, perceptive ideas about a gigantic environmental problem which is reducing the quality of life in America.

This is an amazing, historic story about one of the United States early serial murderers. Calhoun was a cold blooded ruthless killer, Gun slinging Cowboy, Desperado, Indian fighter, Texas Ranger,and Civil War soldier. This is his pre-execution confession of his remarkable and troubled life in a raw, revealing, brutally honest story penned by his executioner Capt. Green. The story spans the country from Baltimore, South Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, Mexico, and finally Bardstown Ky.

I co-wrote this article with Dr. Larry Yu and Edgar Medweth. It has been 11 years since its publication and you need to see Schnebly Hill now! The Coconino National Forest finally took steps to protect Sedona from the influx of people who wanted to "love it to death". It took a good three years from this publication's date until the public meetings and new decisions followed and the dust settled. Ultimately overnight camping in non-campgrounds (dispersed camping) was eliminated in the central Sedona region. This made the big change that saved Schnebly Hill Road and Sedona's public lands. The concept and value of Destination Maintenance still stands tall. The desire to promote a place without planning for the resultant changes that could follow has destroyed many fine destinations.

This book was a big help. My son and I were going to spend 5 days in Phoenix for a football game. We had no idea on what to do. After reading this book, we were able to have an unbelievable get-away.

The Devil's Workshop is a collection of brief yet emotionally memorable free-verse poems by novelist and poet Demetria Martinez. Poignant and memorable, reaching out to people, The Devil's Workshop is a compendium of verse which embraces both the light and the dark of humanity. Today I was told that the words/'War is bad'/Make for/Bad poetry./ OK./Then consider/This poem/Dispensable,/Depleted/As uranium,/A poor poem,/A colored poem.

DIABETES AMONG THE PIMA: STORIES OF SURVIVAL could've been featured in our Health Section, but is reviewed here for its narrowed focus on Native health and health care in this country. While the Pima community receives the primary focus, DIABETES AMONG THE PIMA offering the first in-depth ethnographic analysis of all causes of diabetes in this community, the book holds wider recommendation for examining Pima core values, health attitudes, and attitudes toward treatment, making it a 'must' for any college-level Native American collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I'm driving around Phoenix and trying to think of a place to eat. I'm drawing blanks. Where to eat? Does that ever happen to you?

Fortunately, I have Dining in Arizona: 101 Great Places to Eat, by Claire Bush in my glovebox. I pull it out and scan the restaurants by city index in the back of the book. I look up the summaries for a handful that sound interesting. Now all of a sudden, I have a mind full of options and decide to eat at a restaurant I've never tried before.

Claire's book is handy for locals like me, and especially helpful for the throngs of tourists that visit the valley. The summaries are concise but elaborate enough to convey the restaurant's concept and include highlights on the specialties, so my appetite is already whetted before I walk in the door.

Thirty-five or so of the restaurants are outside the Phoenix Metro area, so even if I'm hiking in Flagstaff, I can use the guide to find a spot to eat before heading back to the Valley.

Other handy indicies include restaurants by cuisine, and by category, like cheap eats, splurge, and date night. No longer will I drive around aimlessly, trying to think of a place to eat. I'll just reference Claire's book, and save time and brain space. Thanks, Claire!

Blanco is the real deal. So much poetry today is bland, plain vanilla, like art that people walk by quickly in a museum to get to the gift shop or say they've been there. Blanco is anything but. Directions to the Beach, if anything, is even more fiery than his first volume, the award-winning City of a Hundred Fires. Blanco takes us everywhere--we are on a journey: through the Straits of Messina, to Paris, New York, Miami. We meet lovers (here you will find a series of "for" poems like no others--for M.C., C.S.B., B.L), friends, family members (my favorites: Abuelo and Abuela). Here are the things and stuff of poetry--a world like no other. America: give us a poetry that speaks to our finest sensibilities; that tells the truth about family, love, loss, beauty and joy. Give us the sensuous detail. Give us all of this in language (or rather languages--for what are our languages if not English and Spanish?). The leavened bread; the deep red wine.

Seek no further. Here it is.

Discourses On Love, Marriage, And Transgression In Medieval And Early Modern Literature is a collection of scholarly essays by learned authors discussing an extensive variation of period literary perspectives toward friendship, marriage, adultery, domestic violence, individual happiness, the breaking of promises and vows, the destructive side of sexuality, and more. Individual essays include "Accusations of Gay and Straight Sexual Transgression", "Caucer's Vows and How They Break: Transgression in The Manciple's Tale", and "Constructing New Women in Early Modern English Literature". Each topic is dissected from a multiplicity of literary, historical, and social viewpoints. A uniquely vivid and daring examination of love, sex, and culture as reflected in medieval writing.

Rick Harris's book "Discover Arizona" is by far the "easiest" way to do just that. I first began using this book as a weekend "thrill" reference 9 years ago. My husband and I loved finding places off the beaten track. This book led us directly to some of the most exciting places Arizona has to offer. He is very clear in his directions, his caution signs, and even reminded us several times of the the specific laws of the land. No matter where we happened to be going in the state, we could plan in minutes, what special extras we could find, wether it be ghost towns, Indian ruins, or crystal beds. We would also know how long it would take us to get there, what time of year was best to visit, and what kind of vehicle was required if any. At one time I even wrote a letter to Rick Harris to get some additional information on one of his places called "Huens Ruins". He wrote me back a hand written letter with the same sense of humor and a hand drawn map giving me the additional information I requested. We have since purchased his second book and are continuing to explore Arizona in all of it's beauty and intrigue. We do however miss the large map of Arizona with the references showing each site and it's number as was on the back of the first issue. If you love to explore. If you love to find relics, and want to truly appreciate the incredible beauty of Arizona, buy this book, and some good hiking boots!-You'll be very glad you did both!