New Mexico Books

This survey of hispanic folk music of the Rio Grande may be regionally specific, but it will prove essential to any student of Hispanic music and provides a wide-ranging history which examines the religious music from 16th-century Spain, Mexican folk tunes, and melodies which are native to the Rio Grande region. Songs appear in Spanish and English and the book includes excellent black and white photos and historical notes.

Amate painting is one of the most neglected traditions in folk art. Amith provides a superb treatment of the topic, with amazing color plates. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, it is an artistic revelation.

Tyler Cowen

This book is great, I checked it out at a local bookstore. I just purchased a new boat, and trying to figure out what lakes in NM are wake lakes was impossible until I found this book. I highly reccomend it to anyone who wants a change from Elephant Butte!

I purchased this book originally to help me pass the time on a business trip in my hotel room - my mother grew up on a farm in Kansas traversed by trail and I had heard stories all of my life - mostly a lot of legends - I had occasion to visit northeast New Mexico several times over the past twenty years and now having read this book I have a deep respect and reverence for those persons whose dreams and visions made possible the taming of the American frontier - I became personally involved in the life story of Marian Russell and came away at the conclusion of the book feeling as if I had heard the story of a close family member - it was as if I were there with her living the story as well - wished there were more

Sharman Russell has returned to what she does best: write about the human condition in beautiful, poetic prose with humor, generosity, and a candor that makes you feel she was put on earth to express your thoughts for you. I wondered how she knew all my secrets as I read the story of an independent, though not stereotypical, woman in a tribe 12,000 years ago. She reveals a woman's perspective on her role in the group, her husbands, her children, her in-laws. Never saccharine-sweet, never a political diatribe; just clean, pure prose about a woman and her prehistoric neighborhood. I recommend this book especially to mothers, but I think men will appreciate it, too, for the light it sheds on "what women want". Whether you care about what happened to large land mammals or not, you will remember this book for its poetry and humanity.

Photographer Schreiber is a romanticist of the West, with an eye for the individuals who choose life and hard work in the outdoors. His deep-focus black and white photographs often find their subjects in the foreground against the vast landscape, an empty sky, or a large sparely furnished room. The strenuousness of the work can be seen in photos of men slouched in chairs or on the ground, staring blankly.

Some pictures have familiar subjects, such as branding calves and roping horses. Others are nice surprises: four men talking together and leaning across the hood of a Ford pickup, a backyard photo of a wedding party, the groom and two best men in big cowboy hats, a cowboy outside a liquor store holding a flat of six-packs. Schreiber in his introduction says the cowboys he's known embody the qualities of honesty, integrity, sincerity, and kindness. This collection of photographs is a celebration of those values.

Tracy Daugherty's distinctive and highly recommended fiction draws from the cultural and social forces that shape and influence the intimate behavior of otherwise ordinary people. Late In The Standoff comprises a novella and five short stories feature people caught up in conflicts where solutions and resolutions arise from unexpected quarters. In "Power Lines" a young man's sexual awakening in Midland, Texas, coincides with lessons about heroism and loyalty during one hot summer that is suddenly seared with violence. In "The Standoff", a retired politician and his asthmatic grandson rediscover their bond on a trip to a small Oklahoma town where the old man has been asked to settle an "Indian dispute". In "Cotton Flat Road", a brother and sister life the lid on their differences as he discovers her secret life across the tracks in the Texas oil town they grew up in. "Lamplighter", "City Codes", and "Anna Lia" round out this impressive and literate anthology showcasing a major talent by an author whose "day job" is directing the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Oregon State University and is on the MFA faculty at Warren Wilson College.

Many history coverages obscure or dilute the important roles played by Hispanic women in the U.S: Hedda Garza seeks to correct this lack through Latinas: Hispanic Women In The U. S.: a survey of the major contributions to this country provided by women leader, organizers and activists from diverse Hispanic backgrounds. Garza has long been a lecturer and an activist for social justice: the appearance of her study in paperwork is a recommended pick for college-level collections strong in Hispanic history and social issues.

I found the Spivey book entitled Maria to be a great asset to my library of books on Indian pottery. The multitude of close up pictures is very helpful in knowing the details of her pottery and that of her family. The easy to read narrative resulting from a personal relationship with Maria and others in the Pueblo make a very intimate kind of reading. The chapter of Maria's own statements certainly reveals the warmth of her spirit and generosity. I would recommend the book to anyone who is considering the purchase of the best in Pueblo pottery or anyone seeking identification of pottery they already have.

If you love the mystery that surrounds the southwest, then you will love this book. The Guadalupe mountains have always had a mystic about them. W.C. Jameson has interviewed people that have lived close to the Guadalupes and has retold their stories. He mentions the Apache Indians and these mountains were their last refuge before being sent to the reservation. He tells of strange things that have happened to hikers. After reading this book, you will want to explore the Guadalupe mountains.