New Mexico Books

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. "Butterfly Boy" Memories of a Chicano Mariposa", University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Angry, Passionate. And Ironic

Amos Lassen

I have finally gotten around to reading Rigoberto Gonzalez's "Butterfly Boy". It is one of the most moving books I have ever read. We follow a young Chicano as he matures into accepting himself as a gay male and Gonzalez writes about in eloquent beautiful language and with candor. It is enough for one to be gay; homosexuality automatically comes with minority status but to be gay and poor and Chicano is another story altogether. This is not an easy subject to write about but to write about in such exquisite prose makes this book very special. Subtitled "Memories of a Chicano Mariposa", we learn that "mariposa" not only means butterfly but also "faggot". Like other gay coming of age stories, Gonzalez describes the trials of being an effeminate kid with a high voice who enjoys putting on girl's clothing. We also read about how he found homosexual themes in classic literature and his feelings of validation when he read E.M.Forster and Herman Melville. With that rapture also comes sadness when he discovers that he is different from others and the emotions of tears and smiles and anger and acceptance face each other off all through the memoirs. Gonzalez tells this story is prose that is poetic and the story is intense and heartfelt. Gonzalez compromises nothing and he tells it like it is. It is very difficult to write about the sexual orientation of a young person because it is so personal that it is hard to convey. Gonzalez manages to do so with beautiful tenderness.
Gonzales not only faced the issue of being gay--he also had to face near-poverty, illiteracy, and abuse. Above these there was love; he loved himself and who he was. The Chicano culture puts great emphasis on machismo and this made self-acceptance that more difficult. Feeling alone in the world, the only sense of connection that Gonzalez had came from a violent relationship with an older man. His mother died when he was twelve and his father had abandoned the family. When Gonzalez found his voice as a writer and also attempted to reconcile with his father, he was finally able to accept himself, claim his identity and bring together the issues of sexuality, race and class. This is a must read and should be on everyone's list. I don't understand why it took me so long to read it.

Years ago Rigoberto Gonzalez did a reading at the University of California, Riverside, his alma mater and the approximate locale where he met the "older lover" who abused him. Someone in the audience asked him why he felt he could write a memoir so young? Rigoberto, then in his early thirties, answered, "Because I write about another time that is no longer my life."

BUTTERFLY BOY: MEMORIES OF A CHICANO MARIPOSA speaks to us about cruelties we do not want to confront: physical and sexual abuse among gay men, child sexual abuse, continuing cycles of abuse, poverty among immigrant farmworkers, family abuse linked to socioeconomic conditions, and inequality in secondary and higher education. These are some of the issues most of us have lived, our "dirty little secrets," but very little of us admit to. I praise Rigoberto Gonzalez for his courage to bring this out to light.

Without a doubt, BUTTERFLY BOY is an example of taking risks with one's writing. Each scene is more heart-breaking than the last, and addictive. Addictive not in the sadistic sense, but because Gonzalez weaves a narrative that pulls you in, and its unsentimentality and your empathy that won't let you go. His prose is poetic and never dramatic. A read you won't be able to put down.

This book will become a classic in Chicano/a and ethnic literature. Worth the buy at any price.

Nothing can be more true than when Gonzalez said that he writes about a life no longer lived. He is an accomplished, award-winning writer and a leading figure in Chicano letters, movers and shakers. He is currently a professor in creative wrting at Queens College in New York. It's hard to believe he went through all the events he writes about, plus more I can't imagine, and still become as successful as he is now. Considering his up-bringing and where he's arrived, I hope this book falls into the hands of those who face similar adversities and have shrinking hope.

What makes a writer?

This seemingly simple question can elicit many complex answers and even more questions. Case in point: Rigoberto González's poetic and heartbreaking memoir, "Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa" (The University of Wisconsin Press, $24.95 hardcover).

González is an award-winning author of poetry, fiction and children's books. He is also a book critic contributing regularly to the El Paso Times.

How did González, the son of migrant farmworkers whose first language was Spanish, become González the writer? Answers begin to emerge from his painful assertion of himself as a gay man in a culture steeped in machismo.

González tells of his journey into adulthood and a life of literature in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from childhood to adulthood, Mexico to the United States, self-loathing to self-revelatory empowerment.

The book begins in Riverside, Calif., in 1990. González, as a college student at the Riverside campus of the University of California, has fallen in love with an older man who, as symbolized by painful yet beautiful "butterfly" marks he places upon González, brings both tenderness and brutality to the relationship. The unnamed lover cheats on González and doesn't hesitate to beat him up to establish his superiority over his young man. At times, González believes he deserves such brutality.

Other times, he is grateful to have escaped the oppressiveness of his family and its legacy of dropping out of high school to work in the fields. The escape comes in the form of literature. A sometimes-callous, sometimes-tender teacher named Dolly lends the young González a poetry book and works with him to subjugate his accent. And the fire is lit: "I became a closet reader at first, taking my book with me to the back of the landlord's house or into my parents' room, where I would mouth the syllables softly, creating my own muted music."

González then suffers the death of his mother when he is only 12. Compounding this loss, he is shipped off to live with his tyrannical grandfather. His own father -- who abuses alcohol and carouses with women --eventually starts another family, further alienating González. Again, books prove to be González's salvation, eventually leading to his surreptitious and successful application to college.

González remains closeted in both his sexuality and intellect, realizing that neither facet of his identity would be understood or appreciated by his family.

In the midst of scenes from his college life in Riverside and his adolescent exploration of sex and literature, González recounts a long and agonizing bus trip with his father. He leaves Riverside and travels to Indio, where his father lives, so they can begin their journey "into México, into the state of Michoacán, into the town of Zacapu, where my father was born, where my mother was raised, and where I grew up." This passage home takes on a special aura because González will turn 20 while there. Throughout the trip, González longs for his lover while seething with an almost uncontrollable anger toward his father. Throughout, he wonders if this trip was a mistake or a necessary part of becoming an adult.

What makes a writer? Obviously, talent is a necessary ingredient. And in the case of González, add to the mix hard work and a burning desire to be heard. Ultimately, it is a mysterious alchemy.

In any case, "Butterfly Boy" is a potent and poetic coming-of-age story about one man's acceptance of himself. There's no mystery in that.

[This review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]

BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST is a great book. It tells the story of a boy who is shipwrecked on a island where the people think he is a god. When Cortez comes to fight the people of the islands the boy is caught in the fray. This story is a great book full of excitment like in the middle of battles or running away in a boat. Even a point where the boy must escape from being sacrificed. This is a wonderful book which I encourage many to read.

This book has become an instant favorite with me. I really love how Mr. Henty shows the true reasons behind Cortez's conquest, and not the pack of lies that we usually hear in history. The thing that got my attention was the Henty made it clear that both sides had their good and bad intentions. The Mexicans wanted peace to reign but yet they exercised brutal human sacrifices to their gods. The Spanish wanted to spread the Gospel to the world but they were noted for their brutality in war. There are no reasons to search for good or bad guys, as the hero in this story is torn between the two sides. If you really want to read how history should be written, read this book.

This is a great study guide for the hardcover book. It contains numerous maps, questions, and vocabulary lists, BUT do not order this if you think you've found a much cheaper version of the hardcover-that is not the case.

Be careful reading this book: it may change your life. It changed mine. The book inspired me to retrace Mr. Chase's footsteps, or should I say hoof prints. His book is such a delightful "paseo" (leisurely walk) up the stunningly beautiful California Coast that I found myself unable to resist the temptation to do it myself. Thus, there is another description of Mr. Chase's route, produced more than 82 years later, also available on Amazon. Read Mr. Chase's book. Sit back and enjoy the images and personalities of 1911 that Mr. Chase brings to life. Maybe you, too, will be inspired to take your own paseo.

Anyone who appreciates the unspoiled west and california history should find California coast trails by J.Smeaton Chase a pleasant read. Shortly after publishing his diary journals of extensive journeys throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains in Yosemite Trails, Chase embarked on his next adventure on horseback. This trip would take him from Mexico to Oregon along the coastal route of the spacely settled california. Most of the books appeal to me is Chases daily recording of intimate details such as a rare flower or a unique sunset. His daily travels often ended with a campfire on the sand with the ocean waves for a lullabuy. Chases winning personality and knowledge of California history further enhance the book along with frequent references to former events and places of historical significance. California Coast Trails is a trail guide, history book and personal travel diary all in one. You wont regret the read.

In 1910 J. Smeaton Chase and a painter, Carl Eytel, decided to go by horseback down the coast from Los Angeles. They carried their supplies, rifles for hunting, and a boundless curiosity about the landscape that even then was beginning to change. Far from wilderness, the land had a rural agrarian character. But cars were already starting to appear on the roadways and Chase foresaw the coming of an urban landscape that would replace the small Mexican and Native American pueblos and he wanted to see the land as it once was and would never be again.

The 1910 journey only lasted a few months. Highlights of it included visits to what remained of California's Missions, a day among the Torrey Pines, and exploring the table/mesa ecosystem of San Diego County. One of the leading naturalists of his day, Chase writes thoughtfully on all these topics and published scientific papers on several. But this trip only whetted his passion for a longer journey; one that would stretch from Los Angeles northward all the way to the Oregon border. And in 1911, Chase began that trip, replacing his rifle with a fly rod and small pistol.

Chase's journey through the California coastal region includes lyrical prose about both the landscape and the people who inhabited it. A passionate lover of trees, Chase went out of his way to visit Monterrey Cyprus, Santa Lucia Firs, and of course the Redwoods. Of the latter, he wrote, "They seemed to lack the individual majesty of bearing [found in Sierran Sequoias] and gain their distinction rather from the cummulative effect of their statuesque beauty..." Muir Woods, then only a few years old, was described as "the most beautiful of any preserved enclosure that I have ever seen, and the soft gray day gave them their finest aspect." A repeat visitor to Muir Woods, I find Chase's comments still hold today.

Chase was something of a Jack London socialist, a romantic heavily influenced by Rosseau. He enjoyed the company of all classes of people but like his literary mentors Henry Dana and John Muir, found his true calling in nature. But unlike today's environmentalists, Chase was not anti people and for the most part enjoyed their presence in nature. Old habitations held a special fascination for him. But he was clearly an agrarian at heart and the urban landscape that was gradually spreading along California's coastline concerned him. Writing about Morro Bay, he wistfully predicted, "This pretty place is destined, I think, to be more of note than it is now." Chase was correct, but I think he would have preferred to be wrong. If you want a glimpse of his California, by all means read California Coast Trails. It is one of the best examples of that truly American literary genre, trail literature, that has ever appeared in print.

The bibliography and research notes alone justifies the price of the book. The stories of one small town and of 20th Century Globalism are artfully interwoven. Altogether, it's inspiring in a painful, eye-opening sort of way.

Contrary to "About the Author", Chellis Glendinning is a she, not a he.

Chiva paints a picture of Chimayó New Mexico, number one per-capita consumer of heroin in the number one per-capita consumer state in the United States. The book also offers a well-researched history of the global heroin trade from past to present. The picture is ugly indeed.

For those advocating legalization (of hard drugs) as the remedy to this problem, I suggest reading this and then asking yourself: is this the kind of country I want to live in? And for those that think the current plan in the war on drugs is working, I have the same suggestion. Quite obviously it is not working and will not cure the problem.

The author points out that at one time heroin was legally introduced to China. The result: over one quarter of the adult population became hopelessly addicted. In Chimayó, the supply was plentiful, with an individual dose costing $15, but anyhing not nailed down was likely to be stolen. Overdoses and shootings were common events. A friend of mine from a barrio full of tecatos in Juarez speaks of the same.

Anywhere heroin has been introduced without control to a population, usage of the drug has increased exponentially. With disastrous consequences.

The writing is good and kept me interested from start to finish. But I think the weakness of the book comes near the end where solutions to the problem are offered. There, you'll find more questions than answers.

I highly recommend Chiva for anyone interested in the drug problem or the region described in the book.

Every now and then somebody comes along who acts as a bridge or emissary between two cultures. Not as a missionary out to "improve," "evolve," or Christianize the natives, or to sell them slicker TV sets; not to study them like infusoria under a microscope; not to turn their gods into meteorology; but to listen, deeply, into the patterns of their life and language, and then--strictly by invitation within that community--to create a thing of beauty that casts a circle of illumination over what had remained hidden in the shadows cast by the mainstream.

In Chimayo, New Mexico, that emissary is Chellis Glendinning.

At one time Chimayo ranked #1 in drug overdoses in a state (New Mexico) that also ranked first in this grim category. This book is a story--personal, cultural, wrenching, hard to read in places because disturbing in its detail--of how the Chicanos and Mexicanos of Chimayo went back to their cultural roots to push the dealers out of their town, then apply the wisdom of those roots to healing the victims of the dragon Chiva, "heroin."

The use of "roots" is deliberate, because as the author makes clear, the drug problem is a product of a long tradition of colonial expansion and devastation in which a land-based people have been globalized, exploited, and thrust into poverty on soils their ancestors once cultivated and loved. From out of that soil came the remedies to combat sniffed, smoked, and injected poisons which users employ to forget for a moment that they are poor; that they have few options and scarce employment; that they are seen by the culture that has alienated them as aliens.

Whence this black-market plague of Thebes? Nations in which the United States Government has intervened to make the world safer for its businessmen: Afghanistan, Columbia, the Asian Golden Triangle, where farmers made poor by either military activity or "free" trade (free for whom?) are forced to grow opiates for sale to Europe and, of course, the United States of the Fifties, where 20,000 users would soon swell into millions.

Their supply? Substances sold by "freedom fighter" drug lords (remember Air America? Burma, now Myanmar? the Afghanistani Northern Alliance?) in the pay of the CIA--even while conservatives sold the sham of a righteous war on drugs. Just say no, except that "like a McDonald's hamburger, heroin can be had just about anywhere in the world."

Chimayo said no and meant it, and although overdoses continue, the last part of this book could be used as a manual for how healing practices implemented locally--NOT from the top down or imposed from outside--successfully grapple on many levels (land, culture, faith, mentoring, and ceremony) with a scourge of the colonialism that continues today transnationally.

I have never read a book that made me feel quiet and humble like this book did. The author was very good at description and bringing the reader "into" his life. I went through the highs and lows of being a farmer and a father. Very moving, very enriching, and very memorable.

This is a very special tenderly written book about living...loving...working... and dieing. Every one can find something to relate too with Harvey in this book. I would highly reccomend it.

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and immensely touching. The author interweaves vivid descriptions of his farm and its inhabitants -- both past and present -- with his observations on cider-making, the care of apple orchards, his wife's art, and his memories of his late, much-loved daughter. He doesn't gloss over the irony that, after he spent years working on nuclear testing, his daughter should contract breast cancer; but he isn't polemical about it, and by the end of the book his personal tragedy is subsumed into the rhythms of the seasons and the ongoing life of the farm. The timeline of the book is circular -- it's not a straightforward history -- but I felt that this further emphasized the cyclical nature of life in the orchard. I recommend the book unreservedly.

Martin H. Hall was the first historian to write about the campaign of the Sibley Brigade in Arizona and New Mexico, but Jerry D. Thompson's books increase our knowledge about the subject by using an impressive array of newly discovered sources. In "Civil War in the Southwest: Recollections of the Sibley Brigade", Thompson provide a new and deeper account of the thoughts and fights of the young Texans in butternut who attempted to conquer the Southwest for the Confederacy. Now, among the outstanding books concerning the Civil War in the Southwest, Thompson's book is one of the best ones, it is a "must" for all the Civil War buffs.
Serge P. Noirsain, Belgian Historian. Author of "La flotte européenne de la Confédération sudiste" and "La Confédération sudiste, Mythes et Réalités".

In Civil War in the Southwest, Thompson has edited the accounts of several members of Sibley's Brigade in its New Mexico campaign, the accounts having been printed in the Overton Sharp Shooter in East Texas in the late 19th Century.

The accounts are quite readable, some even humorous. The accounts of major battles are accompanied by battle maps provided by Frazier. While the accounts focus on the major occurances within the campaign, they are filled with minutia as well, allowing the brigade to live and ride on again, as vividly as they did 140 years before.

While the names of many soldiers appear in the accounts, Thompson made no effort to provide complete troop muster rolls, focusing instead only on editing the newspaper accounts. Where names do appear, Thompson has end notes with more information on the soldier, gleaned from a variety of sources.

Civil War In The Southwest: Recollections Of The Sibley Brigade by Civil War scholar and historian Jerry Thompson presents eighteen distinctive episodes written by members of General Henry Hopkins Sibley's command who fought and traveled more than eight thousand miles through snake-infested bayous to snow-capped mountains to fight and die in more than sixteen major battles of the American Civil War. The brigade consisted of young, zealous Texans who sought to invade New Mexico Territory as a step toward the Confederate conquest of Colorado and California in order to seize their resources (including the gold fields) in support of the South. This compendium of eye witness accounts is positively riveting and is enthusiastically recommended as a unique, invaluable contribution to Civil War Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

A marvelous, quirky blend of Tom Robbins, Tom Stoppard, and general Tom Foolery. Unforgettable characters and bizarre plot intersections leave you wanting more (along with some Smiley -- a plot device I won't spoil by explaining) throughout.

I picked up this book because of the title. Who is this writer? What a gift! Tough and exquisite at the same time. As unexpected as rain in the place she writes.

This is a little gem of a first novel, full of gritty characters, funny-sad situations, and a look at the kind of destiny that walks up and grabs you by the throat even though you've seen it coming. Tough and sensitive, never resting, always moving and taking you along with it. After this book, fleabites press can change its name to beestings.

My family and I planned a trip last summer (2000) using this book. Our original plan was to spend most of our time in Santa Fe and Taos. After we read this book, however, we found several far more interesting trips that cost us about half what it would have cost in Santa Fe. Sure, we did a night in Santa Fe and Taos, but this book showed us the hidden spots in town that really were known only to locals. This book is so good that we even had a wonderful time in Farmington! Yes, that's right, Farmington. In fact, we plan to return their and once again enjoy the hidden restaurants and trading posts in which we found some of the most unique indian jewelry ever (and at about 1/3 of Santa Fe prices). Kudos to Ms. Moore! I just wish I could talk her into writing a similar book about Wisconsin.

This small but fact-filled book explores the richness of New Mexico beyond the Albuequerque-Santa Fe-Taos axis. The author really knows her stuff--giving equal weight to the Native American, Hispanic and Anglo influences that make New Mexico such an interesting state. It's in the car beside me every time I head there.

This is a nice book. It is well written.
The chapters are devided into areas of New Mexico. In each chapter there is a little bit about the history of that area, places to visit and more information about other nearby areas.

Having been to many of the areas that are discussed in this book, I found the description on target and the suggestions of places to visit good. I particularly liked the history of the area with directions to see some of the historical spots in each area.

Very nice. Well worth the money. This book will join me in the car as we go on our trips. It will join the RoadSide History of New Mexico as one of our invaluable, must keep in the car resources.

Enjoy.

I enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially mysteries like this one. Steve Brewer is a fine story teller, and he captures the multicultural aspects of the American southwest perfectly. Crazy Love is an excellent book.

Do you like your mystery detectives to be human? Are you tired of the too tough to care detective? Bored with the detective that can tell a persons past by the lisp of their s and the limp of their leg? If so, then let me introduce you to Bubba Mabry. Bubba is the star of the novel, Crazy Love, the sixth book in a series of excellent mystery novels by Steve Brewer. Born and raised in Mississippi, transplanted to Albuquerque by the Air Force, Bubba is a private investigator working hard and usually scraping bottom. He is not the tough as nails, super confident type of PI that spits blood casually at the feet of thugs beating him, but instead takes his licks and deals with them like a real person: He bleeds, bruises, and takes aspirin to help with the swelling.

In "Crazy Love", Bubba gets into one of his typical situations. He isn't getting much work, and rather than allowing his wife to support him, he takes on an odd case, the client that wants to find out with whom his dead wife had an affair. Things seem to move toward a quick conclusion of the case when suddenly the suspected lothario is dead, Bubba's client is the key suspect, Bubba is viewed as a potential accomplice, and the client disappears. Ever faithful to his client, Bubba tries to find out who the real murderer is. Getting in his way is a happy widow, a bruising hulk, another case with a demanding client, and Bubba having to deal with his jealousy of his wife working long nights with a handsome new coworker and his parents dropping by from out of town. He is sucked further into the quagmire finding himself in jail for attempted murder, being fired from a case, and his wife angry at him for his jealous accusations. How does he resolve it all? As only Bubba can.

If you enjoy a good twisted plot mystery, a likeable detective, and hours of good reading, pick up Crazy Love by Steve Brewer. While you're at it, pick up any of the other titles by Brewer, they are all very enjoyable.

Think Elvis is dead? Then perhaps you should start with Lonely Street, the first Bubba Mabry mystery.

It is such a pleasure to read a mystery where the protagonist isn't a super hero. In fact, Bubba Mabry is probably the antithesis of a super hero. Steve Brewer's characters and scenes get better and better with each story. There were occasions when I stopped and went back just to read his description of a particular character, because that description was so enjoyable. Read his description of Melvin Haywood on page 2 and you'll get the picture. Brewer's characteristic humour presents itself once again in Crazy Love. Bubba is his usual funny self, and Bubba's father, Dub, is the perfect foil to bring out the worst in his son. The scenes with Bubba and Dub are priceless. I recommend any of Brewer's books. I've read them all and it is a pleasure to see his grasp of his craft improve with each novel.

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (9/06)

Flora Adams is a woman of forty plus years who is returning home to west Texas from Albuquerque to visit her Aunt Cora in Luddock. It's been twenty years since Flora has been home, but she hopes a visit will help her recover from recent breast cancer surgery and the ravages of the chemotherapy treatments. Flora also hopes the time away will help her failing marriage of twenty years to husband Jeff.

While visiting her old hometown, Flora remembers all the fond childhood memories of her mother and grandmother as they put together lovely quilts for the family to enjoy, creating lasting treasures to snuggle and keep warm with. Flora remembers how the intricate patterns of special blocks were always special to behold such as the Five Point Star and the Flower Basket. With the leftover scraps, the odd shaped pieces could be used as a Crazy Quilt, and that is what Flora feels she's made of her life--not a lovely and stitch perfect block, but a crazy quilt.

While visiting the exact spot of her old home, Flora meets Mac, a stubborn old man who teaches Flora some important lessons of life. Flora ends up extending her visit and moving in with Mac. Flora reacquaints herself with old friends, even old boyfriend, James Willie, who is now the town sheriff. Mac teaches Flora to live for today and to take what your soul needs, for tomorrow may be too late. Flora tells Mac about her cancer and her fears of death. Flora and Mac become good friends and learn just how much they have in common. They soon realize they both need each other in more ways than they know. Even Shorty the dog is a loyal and needed companion in this unique partnership.

Because of troubles at home, Mac's granddaughter Jillian comes to live with Mac and Flora. It soon becomes apparent the know-it-all punk rock front that Jillian wears is just that, a front. She too is running away from something and has found solace in the lifestyle Mac leads. Jillian loves the home she now shares in Texas, especially when she meets Scott, another teen who lives nearby.

I loved everything about Crazy Quilt from the first page to the last. It is all about living and caring about what is most important in life. Crazy Quilt is about finding out who you are, what you really want out of life, and what makes you happy. Ultimately, we all desire a fulfilling life without regrets.

Women in their middle years or those touched by cancer are the target audience, for they will readily relate to Flora and her fears. Those dealing with chemo, a troubling marriage, menopause, teens, or sick and aging loved ones should also relate. Quilt lovers will enjoy the novel too.

Crazy Quilt is a lovely story with a memorable and heartwarming message you will not soon forget. The characters are interesting and their personalities are well developed. The underlying theme of quilts just pulls it together so nicely. I strongly recommend reading this superb book. Thirty percent of the author's royalties from the book goes to the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Center for cancer research.

Crazy Quilt by Paula Paul is the entertaining, original and engaging story of Flora Adams, a cancer patient who, in the midst of a recuperation leave, stumbles upon an old man who becomes both an annoyance and an infatuation to her. Readers will be delighted as author and former journalist Paula Paul's intricate plot and an amusing spectra of characters ranging from Jillian, a young punk-rocker, to James Willie, the Texas town's sheriff. Enthusiastically recommended reading, Crazy Quilt is superbly crafted, fun and entertaining novel.

Flora Adams' cancer treatment is over. Minus a breast and hair, she refuses to face the fear that her tumor might return. Her husband offers no support, but she cannot accept that her disfigurment is adding more stress to her already shaky marriage. So she runs from her Albuquerque home, supposedly to visit an aunt in Lubbock, Texas. In reality Flora isn't sure where she's going. She finds herself in Muleshoe, a town near the New Mexico border. There, for reasons she can't quite understand, she searches out the old ranch house where she grew up. The house isn't there. Instead, a crusty old man named Mac inhabits a shack on the land, now owned by a large corporation. In fact, as Flora arrives, Harley, a man in the company's employ, tries to drive her and Mac away. Drawn to Mac, Flora begins to protect him. Sooin, she meets old friends, including a high school flame, James Willy, now the local sheriff. Then comes Jillian, Mac's great granddaughter cast off by her own mother.

The unlikely group has a strange effect on Flora, her self confidence, her marriage, and her fear. Mac becomes an example for her to follow in her own life. Jillian, James Willy, and Mac's neighbors, Lucy, Juan, and baby Brittany add their support. Like a quilt frame, they let Flora lay out her life and play with its possibilities, as a quilter would experiment with a design.

In Crazy Quilt, Paula Paul offers a wonderful array of small town characters who have a rich existance on the beautiful high plains of west Texas. They draw Flora into this life. She feels herself reconnecting with her past. Using the metaphor of a quilt, the author cleverly weaves Flora's history into the present, as she recalls her mother and grandmother piecing fabrics together to make the bed coverings. The recollections bring Flora a healthy dose of wisdom, and understanding of herself and her situation.

As she gets more involved with her new friends, Flora realizes that they, too, have problems they must solve. Mac has several big ones. So does Jillian. Helping them sort through their messes, leads her to some interesting perspectives on her own.

Crazy Quilt is a story of growth, and the discovery that hope pops up in unlikely places. While tackling the serious subject of a breaat cancer patient's feelings after treatment, Crazy Quilt never gets maudlin or syrupy. Paula Paul has found a good balance of humor, pathos, reality, memory, sensuality, and human spirit to make her story both believable and uplifting.