New Mexico Books

This book really gets into the hearts and minds of the people during WW II.
I had no idea the South-Western Hispanics were chosen specifically for the Philippines, or what it was like for soldiers when Macarthur bailed to Australia.
And the lives when they return home... very intense.
And it is written so well, not like a dry history book.
I definitely recommend it.

"I loved this novel. The author's sense of history (WW II in the Pacific) and place (particularly Santa Fe) is stunning. The book portrays a fascinating mix of empathetic characters, especially the Hispanic ones such as Senio, Melo, LaBelle and Nicasia, with the more farcical Anglos like Anissa and Phyllis. Just as I've always been struck by D.H. Lawrence's believable portraits of female characters, so I'm impressed by the author's realistic sense of her male characters' inner life and dialogue. The structure of the novel, with its alternating chapters set in Florida, the Philippines and Santa Fe, economically telegraphs place and time to the reader. I won't give away the very moving ending. If you're looking for a compelling story that never flags, and/or are interested in WW II, the Philippines, Japanese and American history, Santa Fe--and a multicultural mix of characters--this book is for you. Do not buy it if you're not interested in sex, war, death, family and love."
Kaaren Kitchell, Venice, Ca.

With a deep cast of characters spread across a canvas from Bataan to New Mexico, this well researched, multi-ethnic story digs into the tensions on the home front as families are torn by their own questions of survival while waiting to see if the world will survive. The author's insights are clear and strong, having been raised in post-war Japan and the Philippines.

A lively and poignant account of World War II and the lives it affected from Santa Fe, NM. Set in the 1940's, this historical novel focuses on some interesting and tragic aspects of the war not known to us before the Freedom of Information Act. Ms. Shepard's deft development of her characters gets you involved from the beginning to the end, and leaves you more curious than ever about the prime time of our "greatest generation," just when we thought we knew most all of it.

This is a beautiful book; showing fine quality pictures of one of the best Japanese print artists. It's an economical way to see/handle georgious works of art without the investment of time and money nor liability of origionals.

Yoshitoshi is probably the best woodblock artist of his time an this tribute need no words

This is a beautiful book, nicely organized. The poetry and folk lore give the reader a peek into a complex and not ofter understood look at Jpanese society. As a printmaker I appreciate the work but loved the layout and the quest the collectors made over two decades to find all 100 of these prints, that are over 100 years old, in pristine condition.

The Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico, has all the woodblock prints in the series 100 ASPECTS OF THE MOON by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. During the Edo period, 1600-1868, Ukiyo-e, or woodblock print pictures of the floating world, meant economical, popular art for the Japanese. It was the first Japanese art in which artists didn't have to depend on a few elite clients. Instead, they found success in mass production, for city shops, open-air kiosks and street vendors.

At first, Yoshitoshi was caught up in the brutality of violent times, by printing demons, murderers and warriors. Then, in the 1880s, he took to Western-styled perspective, space and unlikely color combinations. He did all this, though, within limits from Noh drama. Noh's point was the least amount of detail. It was also on a person just before doing something or while going over something from the past. Both were found in Yoshitoshi's moon prints.

With them, he broke ground in such a way as to move the world, what with post-impressionist America and Europe coming upon his prints. For he put the faces of ordinary people onto figures from Chinese, Indian and Japanese pasts.

Before becoming industrialized, Japan had a calendar system based on the phases of the moon. The Japanese still honor the full moon night, known as tsukimi. On August 15th, the Japanese offer dumplings, eulalia and seasonal fruits, to ask for excellent harvests.

Tamara Tjardes has organized Yoshitoshi's prints according to figures from literature, myth and music; the floating world; and battles. From them, one of my two favorite blocks is "Ishiyama moon." Lady Murasaki wrote the world's first novel, in 1021, with her adventures of Prince Genji. Yoshitoshi showed her on the balcony of the Ishiyama temple, moon-gazing while starting to write.

The other's "A country couple enjoys the moonlight with their infant son." A farmer and his wife cradle their infant son. They drink from a kettle of sake. They're framed by the trailing vine of the yugao. Yoshitoshi printed the scene, to honor these lines from his friend, the poet Keika: "Pleasure is this: to lie under the moonflower bower; the man in his undershirt; the woman in her slip"!

Came quick and has amazing recipes. The used quality was just as indicated by seller.

I remember eating at the Pink Adobe before it was so fashionably famous; Santa Fe gets a lot of celebrity visitors and the Pink Adobe is a favorite spot to see and be seen.

The recipes are gourmet, but also typical of the Southwest; Posole (hominy and pork stew), Gazpacho, Turkey Mole. There are a lot of good salad recipes here, too. Many of them have a lot of mayonnaise, so are adaptable to low-carb diets. And there is a good discussion of chiles, from Anaheim, Poblano to Pequin and how to roast a green chile, skin it and freeze it for use later. If you like Southwestern cooking, which is spicy but not like Tex-Mex, this may interest you.

This is by far the best cook book, southwest or therwise, I have ever owned. The pages are falling out now, but trust me, if you can get a copy, you will receive rave reviews for your cooking. It's simple and elegant, for everyday or entertaining. Fix the chicken enchiladas and black beans and rice - everyone will want your secret! GET THIS BOOK!

I first learned of the "Pink Adobe" from a television segment on PBS entitled "Great Chefs", Ms. Murphy was a featured guest. She made cooking look simple and easy, combining fresh, quality ingredients to create a finished product in what seemed like no time at all. I bought the "Pink Adobe Cookbook" and fell in love with the easy to follow recipes that utilized fresh quality ingredients to perfection. The variety of recipes is good. I once prepared a buffet of everything from appetizers, main courses, stews, and desserts only using Ms. Murphy's book. Great for those who like adventure in cooking and eating!

The previous reviewers said it all; this book is great! I used it with my Honors Social Studies and Language Arts class, and you could have heard a pin drop! Well done, Sally Crum!

Race To The Moonrise is a carefully researched adventure tale of two young Mogollon trader children who run an exciting race against the full moonrise in prehistoric (1200 A.D.) northern Mexico and southwestern U.S. Little Basket, the young girl prophetess and her brother Long Legs make the arduous journey from their village in northern Mexico to the area of Chimney Rock and Finger Rocks, near the Four Corners area of today, before the 19th full moonrise to participate in a religious ceremony. All details are carefully researched and help authenticate this exciting children's educational action adventure book. Note: Race To The Moonrise was approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education. It is fascinating to follow the ebb and flow of this exciting tale. So much of early Native American prehistory is not known, yet what can be surmised of these ancient MesoAmericans is both intriguing and of enduring value to the young people of today. Race To The Moonrise is a fine work to honor one's ancestors with.

Race to the Moonrise, by archaeologist Sally Crum, is a wonderful resource for teachers teaching the history and cultures of the Southwest and Colorado. It is a fictional story which contains a vivid picture of the cultures of the Southwest from Casa Grande to Chimney Rock in Colorado. I used it with my fourth grade students to enable them to visualize the people and their lifestyle, compare the environments, weapons, religions, clothing, tools, foods, building styles, use of natural resources, trade, household objects, and travel of the Pre-Puebloan people. The story is appropriate for fourth grade and above and through a fictional narrative with carefully researched background, keeps students interested and learning throughout. The author has also published a teacher's guide with questions and activities to use with the book. I would recommend Race to the Moonrise to other teachers. It has been a great addition to my unit on Colorado History.

I have a really difficult time reviewing children's books. Until now. I have just finished "Race to the Moonrise: An Ancient Journey" by Ouray, CO author Sally Crum. It is a wonderful book. It was written for the fourth grade level, but let me tell you, I think readers of any age will not only enjoy the book but will finish it with a greater understanding of native American culture and feel good about having read it. The setting of the book is around 1200 AD and centers around Little Basket, a young girl with some very special powers, and her brother, Long Legs. These two, with their uncle, embark on a journey from their home in Mexico to what is now southwestern Colorado. The purpose of the journey, which takes them through the country of the Mogollon of New Mexico, the Hohokam of the Gila and Salt River Basins, the Sinagua of Wupatki Pueblo, the Hopi, and the Chaco Canyon, Aztec, Mesa Verde and Chimney Rock Pueblo peoples, is to save their village. Besides being a great read, the book is impressively accurate in its description of the native American cultures, and geographic and archaeological places which exist today. On a recent trip which included many of those places I was amazed at the author's accuracy. Do Little Basket and Long Legs save the village? To be sure, it's not here today. But then, when a little girl has special powers and a strong, brave, and protective brother...who knows? Sally Crum is a working archaeologist and has worked for numerous national parks and monuments over the past 16 years. The book has been approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education and published by Western Reflections Inc., so you know the quality is second to none. This is a wonderful, enchanting book. It is truly for children of all ages...right up into geezerhood!

I could not put down this new book by Timothy Hillmer. I had enjoyed the writing in his first novel, Hookmen, but the subject matter of Ravenhill is vastly different and I wasn't sure what to expect. Hillmer writes his characters with great depth and knowledge of the life experiences that can deeply affect personalities. This is not just another piece on school shootings. The characters in his book remind me of people I know, or have known, and that is part of what makes this subject matter so appropriate. Hillmer shows the human side to inhuman acts and forces us analyze how a situation so horrific can come about. I highly recommend Ravenhill - you will not be disappointed.

This is not a retelling of Columbine. I've read several novels about violence in school, and Ravenhill is truly in a different league from the rest. Told from several different perspectives (a teacher, a janitor, several different students, an assistant principal, etc.) the novel unravels the events on the last day of school almost minute by minute, marching toward the fateful eighth period where...well...

What makes this book stand out so much to me is how real each character is. All of them are deeply flawed, yet so completely loveable at the same time. Each character has something inside that makes you want to reach out to them--they are so deeply human, scars and all. When the end comes, I was left feeling like I was one of the members of the community of Ravenhill, grieving alongside them. However, unlike so many books fictionalizing school violence, this book left so much room for discussion about what people can do to reach out to each other. There is hope in the despair that I can cling to and bring into my daily life as I reach out to my students as a teacher.
How many books can you say that about?

Tim Hillmer's new novel is a careful dissection of a complex problem - one that has become distinctly American over the past decade. The aim of this book is not to simply novelize those headlines and news stories on school shootings that now seem to appear and re-appear every few years; it is not an objective re-telling of the events leading up to those real-life tragedies.

Rather, this book is a commentary on an analysis of violence, and the author deals with his subject on a variety of levels. He connects the explosive violence of a school shooting to the kind of everyday violence that we as human beings experience daily - those minor but destructive exchanges we all take part in, both as victim and perpetrator.

The characters are realistic, their histories rich. The complex interactions between the personalities that people this story help to shed light on a very dark, very prevalent, but very ignored truth - that this contagion of violence is spread willingly by human beings. Ravenhill is an excellent read - highly recommended.

A fine, satisfying read. Where lesser authors would have given us black-and-white, Hillmer works in grays, refusing to dispense simple answers in response to complex questions. The plot is compelling and the conclusion unpredictable. But I think Hillmer's greatest achievement is in bringing Ravenhill, the school, to life, making it the main character in a cast of strong, fascinating players. One last note: If you enjoy this book, seek out Timothy Hillmer's first novel, The Hookmen.

I really enjoyed each of the Ella Clah series and forwarded them to my daughter in North Carolina. When she finished with them she passed them on to her daughter. 3 generations have had good clean reading enjoyment.
I grew up near the area so that makes the reading even more enjoyable as I picture the different areas.

I felt that I knew the people being written about. I didn't want to put Red Mesa down. I am buying more of Aimee & David Thurlo's books.

They don't come much better than the Ella Clah series. The authors keep this book on a personal level so that you feel you know and understand the character. You feel her pain and her joy. One isn't enough. Buy them all.

Navaho Police Special Investigator Ella Clah and her cousin, police officer Justine Goodluck loudly argue in public over a recent incident. When a few days later, Justine's burnt bones are found partially buried on the top of RED MESA, everyone, including some members of her own family, conclude that Ella killed Justine. Even Ella's beloved mother believes her daughter has turned evil and wants to protect her infant grandchild from her.

While Ella flees to buy time and the truth behind Justine's murder, the law chases after her even more convinced she is an escaping killer. As the law gets closer to capturing her, Ella begins to unravel a plot to eliminate her. Will she be able to expose the dastardly scheme before her time runs out?

The fifth Clah entry is a great tale because the talented duo, Aimee & David Thurlo never lose sight of the scheme or the personalities of the cast. Even on the lam, Ella remains Ella, as fans know her. The plot works because the "plot" against Ella still retains plausibility even with the villains known early in the tale. The Thurlos talent resides in deep and thorough characterizations that lift their Native American police procedurals to a plane shared by the likes of Hillerman.

Harriet Klausner

Jean Rouverol has written here a rather readable personal history of a very public assault on civil liberties (such as they were and are in the US) during the post-WWII Red Scare.

While it does not appear to have been her intention to delve into the politics of the period except as it pertained to women in general and her family (and the expatriate community in Mexico) in particular, especially during the blacklist, the inquiring reader is left wondering, for example, what happened to Rouverol's husband, screenwriter Hugo Butler, perhaps during their Mexican exile, to lead him to celebrate the display of Italian Communist Party banners in Rome even as he wishes that Party to lose the 1960 parliamentary election in Italy -- he, like his wife, having been a member of the Communist Party USA. But then, she tied up the loose ends of her family's Mexican experience somewhat hastily, leaving one to speculate as to whether Butler's political regression was a result of his overall mental deterioration -- a condition Rouverol noted. Nevertheless, her detailed account of their life in Mexico -- the focus of the book -- makes this a worthwhile record of survival during an intensely repressive time.

Jean Rouverol recreates those traumatic years with sensitivity, care and love. With a young family she and her husband not only managed to get away from, (rather than escape), the harrassment of anti-communism in Hollywood but also managed to create a new and productive live in Mexico. Her prose is crisp and very readable.Her sense of humour never fails. Her message is clear- if you believe in it you can do it! One of the few books I have read cover to cover in one sitting.

I was a teenager at Hollywood High during these dark years. Struggling to understand the turmoil and politics that my family was living through. Each day I saw the pain my loving, idealistic father was enduring as more and more of his friends and coworkers became ensnared in the stupid net of fear and accusation that was spreading through his industry.

Jean's story of their quick decision to slip across the border with their children and their day to day challenges of providing a good education and rich family life as exiles makes great reading.

Rouverol's clean prose and unsparing eye will draw readers into recollections of her family's life on the run and the work they scared up to support their nearly decade-long stint underground. Poignant and unapologetic, Rouverol's memoir juxtaposes the support they found south of the border with the unrelenting weight of living as fugitives. -- Publishers Weekly

I worked in the Lower Pecos region with a group of students last summer, and had the honor of meeting Carolyn Boyd. She took time to give our students personal guided tours of the cave paintings, and they were enthralled. She is a gifted communicator, and passionate about her work. These same qualities come through in her book.

The first time she saw these paintings, she was an artist with no experience in archaeology. Her art background allowed her to see what others had missed; the myriad elements were part of a single canvas, composed by a single artist, invested with purpose and meaning. At that moment she held insights the 'experts' lacked, but she did not have the credibility or credentials to convince anyone. Rather than giving up, she went back to school and got her PhD in Anthropology, writing her Doctoral Dissertation on this cave art. She is now recognized as the world's formost expert on these paintings.

Rock Art Of The Lower Pecos by Carolyn E. Boyd (Executive Director of the archaeological research and educational nonprofit Shumla School) offers an expert and in-depth analysis of the rock art created four thousand years ago in what is now southwest Texas and northern Mexico. New interpretations and hypothesis concerning these mysterious yet evocative images left behind by hunter-gatherers of millennia ago fill the pages of this fascinating guide, which packed from cover to cover with the latest up-to-date findings, as well as an anthropological wealth of insightful ideas from a wide variety of experts and schools of thought concerning the uses of the art and the intentions of the ancient artists. Black-and-white as well as full color illustrations embellish this thoughtful and strongly recommended study.

Carolyn Boyd has done an outstanding job with Rock Art of the Lower Pecos! This excellent literary work clearly explains the rock art through extensive ethnographic research and analysis. Her contribution of this book is a landmark acheivment in the field of anthropology. I highly recommend this work to anyone with an interest in historic art or culture.

This author takes research on rock art and makes it concise and understandable for all of us who are interested in rock art in the Americas. But more than that, she takes us to the next level and gives us a basis for understanding WHY the images were produced in the first place and what function they served for the culture. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand these images and who wants to go to the next level in understanding rock art world wide.

This book is a fascinating look at a period of western history not usually covered by fiction writers.
The author brilliantly uses real characters and events to weave a story which is both entertaining and informative.
The characters are, in most cases, composites of several people who lived at the time. What struck me most was the lack of incomplete story flow - usually I have to stop and wonder why the author did not have the characters do a particular act, or glosses over some detail which would enhance the story. I am too often left having to mentally fill in a story, even one written by our foremost talents. But this author seems to anticipate the nip-picky reader, and takes care of the small details in a very-complete manner.
I found it hard to put down, but he conveniently provides stopping points where the reader can lay the book down, and come back to continue the story later.
A great read - I encourage those who admire L'Amour, Brand, Haycox and others to read this one. They will not regret it.

Jon Bauman gives realistic details of the old West, including the tragic and the crude as well as beautiful descriptions which cause you to empathize with the characters. The culture clash betwen Anglo and Mexican is skillfully done and his story depicts how one person's decision can influence the outcome of historic events. Having hiked the entire Santa Fe Trail, and having written two books about it, I was thrilled to go down the Trail again with his story and recognize familiar sites, now with "real" characters in the experience.

Santa Fe Passage provides an outstanding perspective on the history of New Mexico. It brilliantly captures the cultural diversities between the Mexican and American peoples, their attitudes and expectations. The reader can eastily identify with the various characters as they progress through the tumultous times prior to the invasion by the U.S. army. It's a fascinating, historical novel. This truly should be a "must read" for all those living in New Mexico! And, a "highly recommended" read for anyone interested in the Spanish culture and its influence on the development of the United States.

There have been many novels about the Santa Fe Trail, most of which tell little if anything about the historic route, but Santa Fe Passage is based on extensive research and is by far the best historical novel about the Trail. Jon Bauman, an international lawyer with special interest in Latin America, has written a readable, entertaining, and informative story that rings true.
Trail historians will know the sources of many of his characters and their stories, including the first U.S. woman to travel the Trail with her family and operate a hotel in Santa Fe, a woman injured in a carriage accident who miscarries her child at Bent's Fort, a Jewish trader and merchant in Santa Fe, a Mexican woman who owns a gambling establishment and assists Mexican officials and American traders, a governor who is in and out of power in Santa Fe as changes occur in Mexico City, a village priest who opposes the Anglo influences, and the main character Matthew Collins who runs away from an apprenticeship and becomes a Santa Fe trader who marries into a prominent Mexican family and is selected by President James Polk and Senator Thomas Hart Benton to persuade the governor of New Mexico to allow Stephen W. Kearny's Army of the West to occupy Santa Fe without resistance in 1846.
Bauman has a good understanding of all three cultures affected by the Santa Fe Trail, and he creates a number of realistic characters, not stereotypes, for all of them: Anglo, Indian, and Mexican. He has researched the history of the Trail, with help from historian Mike Olsen, and the book is endorsed by historian David Weber. The interaction of the American traders with Mexican citizens is done well. Purists may argue that Bauman has moved some events in time and place (for example there was no Bowie Knife in 1826 and Raton Pass was not an option for a wagon train in that year), but this is creative fiction based on history; just enjoy it.
Not only is this finely-crafted, thoughtful, and sophisticated novel a good read, it will cause readers to want to know more about the history of the Trail. As one of the characters in the novel, Jack Marentette the mountain man, might say, "This is a splendiferous book."

A terrific book, full of lots of photos and colour reproductions of advertising posters etc. Was dissappointed in that it had no detail on the actual trains re locos and consists etc, but more on the PR side of the Chiefs. If you are after more in depth detail I recommend the book "Santa Fe Streamliners" the Chiefs and their Tribesmen by Karl Zimmermann. A must have addition for the set.

In Santa Fe: The Chief Way, railroading enthusiasts Robert Strein, John Vaughan, and C. Fenton Richards Jr. collaborate to present an informative and totally engaging presentation of the famed Santa Fe railroad, and its legendary"Chief" locomotives that powered the trains along the New Mexico terrains. Blending historic photography with period advertisements, and thematic artwork, Santa Fe: The Chief Way is a welcome and much appreciate contribution to any American railroading history collection. Also available in a hardcover format (0937206717), Santa Fe: The Chief Way is an ideal giftbook for railroad buffs as well.

Robert Strein, John Vaughan, and Fenton Richards effectively collaborate to provide an informative and fascinating history of the Santa Fe railroad in Santa Fe - The Chief Way. Illustrated throughout with many unique historical photographs enhancing the "reader friendly" text, we are presented with highlights of those prestigious trains and their luxurious accommodations on the Santa Fe run. A welcome and highly recommended addition to any railroad buff's collection, Santa Fe - The Chief Way also touches upon the railroad hires of Native Americans guides to ride the trains through New Mexico for the edification of the passengers, as well as citing the film stars and cinematic moments associated with Santa Fe railroading history.

Gorgous photos, paintings, and old advertisements along with informative text, this book is for anyone who has ever been drawn to the serenity and beauty of new mexico.