Texas Books

One Christmas in Old Tascosa. By Casandra Firman as told by Quintille Speck-Firman Garmany. Foreword by Red Steagall and illustrated by Judy Wise. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2006. xi, 90 pages. 2 photos, 12 illustrations ISBN 089672588X

Tascosa now includes Cal Farley's Boy's Town. Before that it was the wild and wooly West with Indians, buffaloes, gunfights, cowboys, and dancehalls. Between the two, the town virtually went to the ghosts. But here is a sweet story from the interregnum.

Garmany was a seven-year-old in 1931. The Depression Dust Bowl was on, but few would have realized it given how simple life was in Tascosa. Having more than one pencil was a student's wealth.

At the time Tascosa's lone resident was Frenchie McCormick, an elderly woman with a dancing history and an honored wedding vow to remain in Tascosa. Nearby in a one-room school house Christmas was approaching and the children's Pageant was finally ready. And it was nearly, completely, absolutely wrecked. It wasn't the children, the building, the costumes, or even a too-playful dog. It snowed on the day before the evening's performance, so heavily that the audience could not come. Parents knew their children were okay with the teacher in the schoolhouse, but they could not get through the snow. And without an audience to love and smile over the Pageant's young performers, it would be a failure. Then through the blizzard, Frenchie McCormick was spotted coming through the deep snow. The children warmed Mrs. McCormick. She took her place among the chairs out front. And she loved the youngsters' presentation. And the children loved her for being there - just to see them.

Red Steagall, a Texas poet laureate, and Richard O'Brien appends a song "Frenchie McCormick." Merry Christmas!

There is a great "you are there" quality to this story, and the illustrations are wonderful. These events happened not that long ago, but it seems life another world. Reading this book maked me reflect on the "hardships" of my own life, and on the magic of one night in a young girl's life.

This poignant Christmas memoir will appeal to children and adults. The historical element increases the interest and insures that this will be reread every December.

Having known Quinn Garmany my entire life, I can honestly say that this is a truly amazing story. Worth reading and worth sharing!

So many times we wonder, 'if I could do it - the results would be'. Mrs. Lora Leigh Moore, I am sure you have 'hit' on many a dream-come-true; even if the ending is a little too real - everything is roses and one falls down.
Probably, the quickest novel I have ever read: it is very close to my own story; my real life story - 'if I could do it - the results would be'.

This story is that of no other - you live the story through each character and are never left with the desire to put it down - I'm not an avid reader as most novels are slow to start and several chapters are slow - not this great novel - the job of writing is well done and an indication that Lora Leigh Moore will be a star among the literary world. Look for her upcoming novels (of which I hope will be published soon!)

I can't wait for the sequel. What happens to the brothers? This book made me happy, mad and sad; feelings I haven't had for a long time while reading a book. BRAVO!!

i loved this book! an excellent read and i couldn't put it down. a very suprising ending which i wasn't expecting. nice job Lora!

These memoirs have been quoted in Toland's book on WWI and now in Farwell's book. It was good to go to the source because of the writing of the Carl A. Brannen, the editorial comments from the editors, and then the addition of the excellent view of the son in 1990. This should be a must read for every Marine and for anyone who wants to know about war.

When America declared war in 1917, Carl A. Brannen was an 18-year-old freshman at Texas A&M. He finished out the fall semester of his sophomore year and then enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1918, reporting for boot camp in February. Immediately upon graduation, he was shipped overseas to France to join the American Expeditionary Force under Gen John Pershing's command. After more training in Europe, he moved to the "front" to join the 6th Marine Regiment under the Army's 2d Division as a replacement for marines killed in the first 48 hours of the battle of Belleau Wood. Brannen kept a very good diary. We discover that he is not a heroic figure-just a marine trying to stay alive. He knows that a foxhole or trench is a valuable piece of real estate in face of murderous machine gun fire. Brannen understands and appreciates the difference between his gas mask and those the French have (they are better), so he watches for a spare one. He knows what hunger is and how much a hot meal means, when he can get one. He also knows what thirst is and how uncertain resupply is in a combat situation. Brannen quickly learns the difference in the sound of the explosion of a gas, shrapnel, or high-explosive shell. He stayed in Belleau Wood until it was captured on the first of July, a great morale victory for all the Allied armies. Brannen wasn't relieved until 16 July 1918. Instead of receiving a period of rest and recovery, he and his fellow marines were trucked to the battle area of Soissons, where he participated in an advance led by tanks. The Germans countered the attack with near-point-blank artillery, killing Brannen's best friend. It took only 40 minutes for his regiment to be nearly annihilated. Brannen, however, is a survivor. He participated in battles in Saint-Mihiel, Mont Blanc, and the Meuse-Argonne. Following the armistice, as a member of the 2d Division, his unit became part of the Army of Occupation. Pershing kept the army sharp by means of a rigorous postwar training program. Brannen writes about how morale plummeted in this situation since most soldiers only wanted to return home. Just when Brannen began to feel down, he was selected to join the ranks of a regiment referred to as Pershing's Own. He had fought with the 4th Marine Brigade in every major battle and had survived-a claim few people could make. The 6th Regiment, composed of three thousand men, suffered 1,161 killed and over 4,656 wounded for total casualties of 5,817.

Over There is a very moving book. Brannen, who knows he was lucky to survive, is a quiet man in a heroic way. If it were not for his son and some dedicated scholars, the papers, photographs, and diary entries that tell his story would have been lost. This book, together with Robert Asprey's At Belleau Wood, provides a poignant reminder of just how terrible war really is.

Private Brannen's memoirs, written some twenty later, are fragmentary and somewhat impressionistic, but impart well the combat experience of the World War One Marine, from Belleau Wood, St. Mihiel, and Soissons, to the Meuse-Argonne.
His recollections, accompanied by period photographs, are expertly annotated to provide necessary historical context and perspective, and further expanded by Brannen's son, who visited the scenes of combat in the 1990's and added new photos of those famous battlefields. This is a valuable addition to the history of World War I, and will be of special interest to students of the Marine Corps.

(The "score" rating is a feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

Carl Andrew Brannen died the year I turned 18. The same age he was when he began his journey through the Marine Corps, into France and back home to Trinity County, Texas. I have visited his battlefields several times and have used "Over There" as a field reference guide. In the summer of 1999 I stood in the Soissons battlefield with my 4 children as they lay in the same road in about the same place their great grandfather clutched the earth for a dozen hours or so waiting for the German counter attack or darkness or death which ever came first. He with a couple of dozen Marines were all that stood between the German line of defense and the rear echelon for most of that fateful day. I read his account out loud to them as we walked down the road and know that it brought insight and meaning to them as it would any American. Knowing that there are thousands of decendants of war veterans with stories untold, I highly recommend this book as a way to begin your own personal journey to discover the trail, Washed with Tears, as my Uncle Joeseph Patrick Brannen, C.A.Brannen's son, and one of the authors of this book, might say. C.A. Brannen's point of reference for his experiences was that of his uncle Eaph Dial, a Civil War veteran of Hood's Texas Brigade, who from 1862 to 1865 fought in most every major engagement his brigade was a part of. Like Eaph Dial, my grandfather was also a part of every action the 2nd Division participated in between June of 1918 and the end of the war. His war decorations include 5 battle stars all of which are featured in this book. C.A.Brannen's dash across no man's land at Soisson's and Blanc Mont Ridge was often described to me as child listening with great awe, as similar to the Confederate attacks at Gettysburg. There is a bit of every American in his story and ought to be read. It is a quick read, complete with historical research to confirm his accounts and is perfectly suitable for readers of every age.

I loved this book which was given to me as a gift. I've visited Poland nine times since 1972. Leonard Kniffel captures the communist and post-communist Poland very accurately. His observations are honest as he discusses the good and bad in present day Poland. Needless to say the good far outweighs the bad!

I, of Polish descent, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the author's trip to Poland to find his grandmother's family. I wish I could live there and meet the Polish people. His descriptive writing shows that he enjoyed his visit and the citizens. The Polish surnames may confuse non-Poles.

Leonard Kniffel grew up in Michigan with a Polish grandmother who immigrated as a young woman. This instantly resonated, as my grandmother also immigrated from Poland as a child, and many of his memories of large Polish family gatherings, Polish mass, and family life rung so true to my own. At twenty-five, I am finally embracing my Polish heritage, in no small part inspired by this book. Leonard lands in Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, the town near where his grandmother is born, and quickly makes a network of local friends: Adam, a local entrepreneur and his new landlord, the elegant and sensual Pani Wituchowska, with her memories of grandeur before the war, local journalists Ryszard and Grazyna, the mayor, and innumerable relatives that he discovers on his quest to trace his grandmother's roots in Sugajno. The touching narrative is filled with bittersweet images of modern Poland, of its Communist legacy and strong will to survive, fervent Catholicism, and the legacy of Jewish indifference: a good part of the novel traces the author's struggle to divine what happened to the headstones in the local Jewish cemeteries, and he is shocked by how the Polish Jewish history seems to have evaporated into thin air. Most importantly, he reconnects with his Polish roots in a visceral way, embracing Polish cuisine (hunting for wild mushrooms in forests with Adam's mother), culture, and storytelling. A wonderful tale of family, friendship, being a stranger in a strange land, and rediscovering the important things in life. Dziekuje bardzo!

When does a personal journey make for beautiful reading? When it tells a remarkable story in language that stimulates the very feelings that moved the author. Kniffel's journal is such a book, a model for any similar attempt. The story, though it happens to be about a modern Polish-American seeking lost family connections in Poland, is the universal one of a stranger's quest in a strange land. Its language is deftly lyrical, never too much for the situation, almost always on target, so that the "strangeness" is allowed to speak for itself. And to an American reader the particulars are wonderfully strange -from the coughing, stalling Maluch automobile the author uses in pursuit of back-country relatives, to the phallus-shaped mushrooms eagerly gathered to feed the American guest (the feeding is hilariously incessant). Kniffel's discovery of lost family is touching and remarkable in itself; but even more impressive is how, as a child in Michigan, he remembered almost every word about the old country spoken to him by his beloved mother and grandmother. Those words became keys with which Kniffel unlocked his lost world, and, it turns out, a missing part of himself.

Perfect for the Aggie lover in your house. Awesome coffee table type book. Stunning pictures. Brings back memories.

The traditions at Texas A&M are unlike any other university in the nation. The Pride of Aggieland is a hardcover book, mixing excellent photograph and stories, taking you through the history and traditions of one of the most unique universities in the nation.

The book begins with with the changes in the mid-1960's that allowed Texas A&M to transform from a male-only military-based college to a full-fledged university . Previous to the mid-1960's, membership in the Aggie military corps was compulsory. The book makes it clear that this transition was controversial and opposed by many, then explains why the transition helped turn A&M into one of the top universities in the nation.

Football history is covered in the middle chapters of the book. A few things become clear here - Aggies love their football; they have had a good history, not a great one; and they love to beat the Longhorns more than anything on this earth. Aggie football greats are well-covered, from John David Crow, the Aggies only Heisman trophy winner to Dat Nguyen, the phenomenal linebacker in the 90's. The book doesn't pull punches when it comes to listing the failings regarding great coaches such such as Paul Bear Bryant and Jackie Sherrill. Both were involved in getting the Aggies placed on probation during their tenures at Texas A&M.

The history and tragedy of the 1999 Aggie bonfire in which 12 students were killed is covered in touching fashion as are the events at Texas A&M just after September 11, 2001. The book ends with an explanation of traditions which appear odd to outsiders, but are part of the biggest team-building exercise in the free world.

The Pride of Aggieland is a good coffee-table book for any Aggie alum who wants to reminisce, or have a 'show and tell' session. The layout of the book makes it easy to read, especially since there are many sidebar stories than can be read quickly.
The book does an excellent job of showing and explaining why the Aggies do what they do - good enough that they almost seem normal. (That's a joke, son - I've spent some time there myself.)

This is the book we Aggies deserve. It's got all the school's history, traditions and spirit. And lots of football. Tons of color photos. Lots of games and great seasons and stats. And bonfire, red white and blue out, and just about everything else. Written by an Aggie. It's fantastic!

Texas A&M is a school built on pride..from the freshman orientation to graduation school spirt is omnipresent. This a well written book on what makes the Aggies unique. The text is very interesting and the images are well executed. As a Texas Ex I always marveled at the sprit in Aggieland, I mean don't get me wrong I bleed burnt orange, but I do envey their spirit, we may own the overall football series, though in the last few decades it has been close to even, but we will never compete with Texas A&M's pride in their university and football program, they have spirit like no other.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RJOHBCE74JKOY

Greed can only be contained by those willing to stand against it. "Prodigal of the Pecos" is the story of Clint Cooper, as he tries to defend his home town against the power grab of a ruthless eastern pawn broker who wants the land for his own profit. Clint's story is exciting and moving, making "Prodigal of the Pecos" highly recommended for fans of western fiction.

Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (06/08)

Here it is, another masterful work from the pen of Charles Edmonson. I think I have said it before and I'll say it again, "this is not just another cowboy story of the Wild West." In this second novel of the Pecos series, "Prodigal of the Pecos" Charles tells the story of a man summoned home to find the murderer of his brother. He arrived home to find a town and people that are terrorized by a wealthy land baron, Montgomery Fitzgerald.

Montgomery was not a man to be taken lightly, if he didn't get what he wanted, a man could wind up dead; and usually did. He was brought in from the east by a group of wealthy men that wanted to corral off the free range of the Pecos. Along with that, they were stealing other rancher's cattle and driving people off their own land. Their plan was working fine till Clint Cooper arrived on the scene.

Clint was a fine young man that worked as a Marshall in another town. He hadn't been home in years when he received word that his brother was killed. Clint quit his job immediately and came home to the chaos and death that was once his home.

With stark, raw reality, and such descriptive verbiage that is used to tell the tale, you will not put this book down. You will want to close the cover because the horror seems so real, but your eyes will remain glued to the page. I gave it my highest A+ rating and tell all that it is an enjoyable read.

"The Pecos had been at war for more than fifteen years. First with the Yankees, then with the Indians, now with itself." Author C. E. Edmonson has given us another great story rich in historic context, beautifully drawn landscapes, high action and unforgettable characters.

Kathryn Casey writes a classic true crime book about a man obsessed with terrorizing women, starting with his wife. She follows the escalating behavior of a self-confessed rapist as he begins to "window peep" and then follow women and break into their homes and rape them; although rape wasn't his goal so much as total control and domination. I am in awe of Ms. Casey's talent as a writer. She is one of the best writers I have had the privilege of reading.

I didn't read this book until after I'd read this author's other book that came out last year, She Wanted It All. Loved that book and decided to try this one. Gotta tell you, this one is pricey, but it's a great book. It's this author's first and she did a bang-up job on it. Really amazing detail, psychological insight. Fascinating case. I'd recommend it to anyone who reads true crime, mysteries, etc. Buy it and enjoy.

I confess, through most of this book, I was baffled by Linda Bergstrom - WHY DIDN'T SHE LEAVE?? Read on, and you will see why she didn't at first.

Kathryn Casey tells the complete story of a seemingly harmless man who accomplishes the unspeakable as his wife slowly begins to put together the bits and pieces of his 'other side'.

For those of us who read true crime and think "I would have never let myself be put in that situation" think again. It's not as easy to get away as you think.

I don't want to give away anything in this book but I hope you'll read this story of a woman torn between stopping a monster, protecting her child, and maintaining her sanity. It's a great read.

This is one of the best true crime stories I have read lately. Kathryn Casey writes with compassion for the victims and you can feel the triumph she feels for Linda, The Rapist's Wife, when justice is finally meted to her husband.

"Reliquary" offers us two distinct pleasures not often encountered in poetry today. The first is the pleasure of pure learnedness, the pleasure all poets feel, whether they admit it or not, in participating in the age-old conversation among words and books.
The second pleasure offered up by the book is the rather voyeuristic one of partaking of another's spiritual yearning, in this case mediated through a close and loving observation of the natural world. Few poets today have the courage to reveal their craving for spiritual comfort so nakedly. I for one am grateful for it. Keep writing!

Ande writes with the close confessional voice of Sharon Olds, the ecstatic vision of Blake and the scientific pinpoint accuracy of Pattiann Rogers. Weaving through almost every poem is her quiet yet almost slap-stick sense of humor, if there is such a thing as spiritual slap-stick. Hopeful and wise, these poems are welcome in these troubled, self-absorbed times.

Jan Lee Ande's second full-length book of poems "Reliquary," solidly enriches what the reader encountered in the poet's first offering "Instructions for Walking on Water." Reliquary, defined as a receptacle, such as a coffer or shrine, for keeping or displaying relics is such an apt title because in "Reliquary" the poet invites the reader into a showroom where they find moments of consciousness where words push up against themselves and reveal new meaning. Words are given the sacred task to speak to worlds beyond and sometimes below. I was surprised as I engaged in the depth of the journey. If we think of books as sacred objects the poems of "Reliquary" must be thought of as sacred glimpses. Each poem opens a door. The poet provides the key. I have been involved in the medical field for twenty years so it isn't surprising that I was drawn to the poem "Learning Anatomy." Here a mother, as "study partner," is stationed next to her son and a human skeleton where they take on the task of learning the bones of the body and what each one means on many levels. What is surprising is what the poet finds in her dialogue with these bones and their articulations. The poem concludes, "After the soul has fled the body, after the organs / crumble into dust, bones pass time in the urn of the earth." This is what you'll find in reading Jan Lee Ande. Surprise! Regardless of background I'm convinced a door can open for anyone who is moved to read her. She pushes the reader beyond the ordinary and into realms where the familiar is new and fresh.

Ande's Reliquary is a superbly crafted collection of poetry that cracks through surfaces and reveals the sacredness and connected nature of underlying things: the celestial mix of physical and mystical that permeates rocks, trees, hearts, thoughts and which drives science, religion, and wonder.

Ande invites us:

If you are lost in this world, bewildered
in the middle ground
between heaven and earth, stand here.

And so begins the delicious ascent into the incredible world of Ande's language and imagery, for the very first thing one notices, before one even considers poetic form, is the sheer beauty of the language and the freshness of the imagery. In her poetry, words exceed their representational function - they sparkle, they shoot like stars through the soul - and, as one rereads each piece, the words emerge and reemerge in a metamorphosis that, for all its metaphysical qualities, is at the same time as grounded in realism as the texture of the page upon which the images are so craftfully arranged.

The title poem, "Reliquary," epitomizes the book's theme of sacredness-in-the-ordinary. Ande writes:

I do not have a theca issued by the pope
- the red wax seal and a length of thread -
to prove these relics are authentic.

My theca is the pollen sac of an anther,
spore case of a greeny moss,
outer layer of the pupa of the rose weevil.

However, it is the intangible collection of reliquaries that gives the poem a deeper import: questions (Do you believe in nature spirits, / can oak trees talk, have you walked on water?) and embellished remembrances (My sky blue traveling case. Sarcophagus / of the holy bones of my black dog who could fly.) remind the reader that relics are more than carefully preserved items - they are magical, they house our dreams, they hold incredible secrets.

Ande's gift for blending concrete and metaphysical images infuses her work. Yet, there is a fine balance between Ande's poetic gifts and the poems' forms, as well. Usually filling just one page, and usually written in couplets or triplets, the poems are easy on the eye; as a result, their framework provides just the right space for the reader to perfectly engage with the spirit of the poem.

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.

Mary Lu Abbott rounds up Lone Star lodgings, restaurants and sightseeing with lovers in mind. Recommendations are organized regionally and introduced with a brief history of the locale. Among the romantic stays are rooms in a former stagecoach stop; among the memorable restaurants is the palatial Mansion on Turtle Creek Dining Room in Dallas. The book includes major festivals and strikes a nice balance of activities, sightseeing and recreation of interest to both genders.
Chicago Tribune

The updated second edition of Romantic Weekends: Texas covers places to get away for a romantic weekend in Texas, outlining both popular areas and hidden places which can be easily accessed in a long weekend. From central Texas and the Southeast to the Panhandle, the regional breakdowns make it easy to look up particular areas, while specifics on restaurants and accommodations make this a winning set of recommendations.

This book offers the best places for romance in and around Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and the Mexican border. Only those lodgings with special appeal have been selected, and all have been visited by the author - former Houston Chronicle editor.Table For Two sections profile the most intimate places to eat, where ambiance and service are as important as the food. But this is more than a guide to the best places to stay and eat. Activities that a couple will remember forever are also covered - balloon rides over the desert, romantic strolls under a starry sky, horseback trails into the wilderness. Contact names, telephone numbers and website addresses are given.

This book offers the best places for romance in and around Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and the Mexican border. Only those lodgings with special appeal have been selected, and all have been visited by the author - former Houston Chronicle editor.Table For Two sections profile the most intimate places to eat, where ambiance and service are as important as the food. But this is more than a guide to the best places to stay and eat. Activities that a couple will remember forever are also covered - balloon rides over the desert, romantic strolls under a starry sky, horseback trails into the wilderness. Contact names, telephone numbers and website addresses are given. Maps, index and photos, plus hand-drawn sketches.