Texas Books

I'd like to see this book released in a smaller paperback edition, instead of the 'coffee table format' which is oversized, heavy and not conducive to reading. The message that the book conveys is vitally important, and should be easier to read and take along with you. The fonts chosen make the text almost impossible to read on some pages, as the color melts into the page. I'd like to be able to read this and buy copies for others to read as well. Maybe that's a strange complaint, that a coffee table book should have been published as a mass-market or trade paperback, but this is an important book that should be made widely available to encourage more people to buy it.


The photographs are simple and disturbing. The author readily acknowledges that some juveniles deserve to be behind bars, but not all of them are criminals. In Texas, as in most states, status offenders (runaways, habitual truants) are housed in juvenile detention centers with accused rapists and murderers. The child who enters the doors of the juvenile hall as a status offender may very well leave as a budding criminal, even after just a few weeks of being locked up.

The story isn't unique to Texas. Children who need mental health services, diversion programs, and drug rehab are out of luck if their families aren't well-insured. Like the adult prisons of America, our juvenile halls have become a dumping ground for children and young adults who are mentally ill or addicted to drugs. The author doesn't try to come up with pie in the sky solutions, because there aren't any to be found.

This is one of the most important books out there about our nation's children, and about correction in general. The photographs of the children are beautiful, honest, and heartbreaking. A powerful testimony to the state of our nation, which allows such hopelessnss to befall our children, their families, and our communities.

Steve's work is this book is utterly amazing. His insight into the lives of these children is insightful. The photography truly speaks to you - you feel the photos in your heart - you can hear these kids speaking to you from the pages.

Steve has done a fantastic job of showing many of us a whole different side of life.

Mr. Liss has managed to capture the humanity of this forgotten group of youth with an obvious awareness of his subject material. Having worked with similar youth, I found the book heartbreaking. I have a copy on my coffee-table, and have purchased several copies for friends and acquaintences. We should be doing better for our children...

It was good interesting book. The way the characters feelings changed they were happy then sad. There names are Joel and Tony the book started to go to Starved Rock Park, but they didn't make it. I think it was one of the best books I ever read.

This used to be my favorite book when I was younger. I would recemend it to any kid whos in 4th or 5th grade. I am in 8th grade now but sometimes when I get bored i take out that book and start to read it agin.

I highly recommend purchasing both "On My Honor" AND "Whene'r you Make Promise" for your personal resource, OR your Service Unit Library! Both are beautifully illustrated, and great tools for learning about the history of scouting in the US. Younger girls appreciate dressing the dolls in their period Uniforms and dresses, older girls can also enjoy the personal stories included. Use these books to tie in the requirements for many patches andd badges such as "Brownie Girl Scouts Through The Years" and "Her Story" try-its, The "Juliette Low" patch, and the "Girl Scouting Through the Years" Junior Badge.No girl is ever too old for paper dolls, and these are a high quality product line! My girls particularly liked trying to imagine camping in such complicated underclothes, as well as comparing patches and awards to today's equivalents. These books deserve an "A".

For those who enjoy paper dolls, this collection is a classic.

Seven paper dolls and twelve uniforms are offered in the first of a five-part history of Girl Scout uniforms.

The text, written through diary entries, capsules the early years of scouting.

A bit of Americana worth collecting.

John McAfee has a great way of using humorous cynicism to depict life on the plains of Texas and in the jungle of Vietnam. He does so with the ultimate intent, which he accomplishes superbly, of showing how the environment of his boyhood home was destroyed and the lives of people downstream disregarded.

If you've enjoyed the work of Cormac McCarthy, then you should not miss "On Rims of Empty Moons. McAfee wanders over similar terrain as McCarthy, but he has the craziest imagination you've seen in print for years, and a wild sense of humor that finds laughs even in the midst of the goriest events and the blackest tragedies. The book takes the reader on a crazy journey from the dry landscapes of West Texas and northern Mexico to the steamy jungles of VietNam, and accomplishes all without a false note, because the author knows intimately the places and the ways of life he talks about. My personal thanks to McAfee and his publishers at Texas Tech Press for a book in which finally an Anglo author writes about Mexico without making the speech of the characters and the language they use sound like snippets of dialogue from an old Cisco Kid movie. Can't wait for the movie version! (Nahh! Hollywood couldn't cope with this kind of imagination without emulsifying and adulterating it!)

I have NEVER laughed so hard, and been so drawn into a work of fiction. Not only was I loving Johnny McBride and hating Hide immediately, but I was savoring every page...i.e: not reading it when the kids were around to bother me...this is a tremendous read with so much heart and humor:) McAfee should move to the ocean and write full time and honor all of us with further works of art!

From the opening page the humor starts and Johnny McBride begins the journey of his life. With the humor born of a lifetime of experience and the poetic use of language John P. MaAfee brings the world a book about life and making decisions. From the West Texas cow county of the west, you will travel with McBride even further west until he ends up in Southeast Asia. After that it is back west by a means almoast unbelievable that McAfee makes real. Then the questions are answered, even some that didn't seem to be questions in the first place. A truely enjoyable read, it was hard to put down and I did so only to preserve the domestic tranquility. Then it was up early to finish before going to work. McAfee has gone beyond SLOW WALK IN A SAD RAIN. This book is the must read of 1998!

This book is well-written and compelling reading. It provides a overview of the politics in Texas from the time of the "Shivercrats" in the 50's through the upheaval of campus protests in the 60's to the current landscape where Republicans occupy the majority of statewide offices. The author is an attorney who was engaged over his career in Texas in a number of lawsuits seeking equity in voting rights for minorities and in funding among public schools, among other social justice issues.

The autobiographical structure of the book provides an engaging contrast between the (potentially dry) discussion of litgation and the personal growth and escapades of the author and his rowdy and adventurous friends. The legal points are explained in terms that non-attorneys can easily grasp and the outcomes of the cases demonstrate that progess can be made, bit by bit, in dragging civilization forward to a more progessive place if you are clever and persistent and sometimes just downright lucky. It is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the political history of Texas, or for students of public affairs seeking insight into the realities of how policies are made and changed.

It is also a very enjoyable read for anyone wanting to get a feel for Austin during its best years -- when the music was great and the living was laid back. Some of the anecdotes made me laugh out loud, which is one of the greatest compliments a book can elicit from me. The fact that there is much to be learned from reading it, and that it is a delightful read to boot, earned it a 5-star rating.

How is it that Texas politics could give the country Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush, Ralph Yarborough and Phil Gramm? When Ann Richards became governor, the prison system, the juvenile justice system, and the mental health system were all to some degree under the control of federal courts because of state defaults. After her administration, all those systems were back under state control, employment was up and crime was down--yet, she got voted out. Why?

If questions like this hold no fascination for you, pass on this book...unless you are up for a string of hilarious shaggy dog stories involving the movers and shakers and noisemakers of Texas. The acid test for humor is whether you will laugh out loud when nobody else is in the room. This book passes so clearly that you might want to take it in small doses if you are prone to aches caused by belly laughs.

The reason why a first rate academic press would publish a memoir full of political anecdotes is because those anecdotes illustrate important strategy and tactics in the struggle to drag Texas toward the 21st Century. Where is it writ that you cannot learn important things and have fun at the same time?

There are a lot of reasons to read about the recent political history of Texas. To understand the current winners in American politics and where they want to take us, you've got to understand their financial, cultural, and political lineage. Dave Richards' book about Texas from 1954 to the present is a story of the dominant conflict in America today, the war between the extreme right and the moderates. It's a cautionary and instructive tale.

Richards is one of the lawyers who changed Texas from a one-party, racist fiefdom to a two-party political moiety with a less tilted playing field for Hispanics, Blacks, students, women, nature-lovers, and other ordinary people. In 1954, Richards came of age in a segregated Texas with a poll tax and no Republican party. Conservatives voted in the Democratic primaries, maintaining the white, racist, oil-field culture's hold on the state. He and his cohorts, a coalition of Hispanic and student labor, labor unions, Blacks, and women, determined to redistribute the power. With the aid of new federal laws and the fortunate appointment of a new crop of federal judges, the populist, progressive coalition were able to solve problems that had throttled Texas for a hundred years: unrepresentative voting districts, disenfranchisement of students, censorship of the press, disenfranchisement of Blacks and Hispanics, and unequal public school financing.

There have been lasting effects of the effort to remake Texas. There is no longer a poll tax, there is a Republican party, there is desegregation, and women, Hispanics, and Blacks hold office at every level of government.

But Nixon promised to turn the Supreme Court so far right we wouldn't recognize it, and with the Reagan and Bush appointees the federal courts are no longer reliably part of the solution. The Dallas east Texas oil field crowd has prevailed again, despite all the coalition building; to read Richards' book is to follow how and why.

One familiar trick, the disenfranchisement of voters who are putative "felons," played so effectively in Florida in the year 2000 presidential election, was first pulled in Texas in 1982. That time, the trick was played long enough before the election that Richards was able to get a federal injunction requiring the withdrawal of the "felons" list and prohibiting the secretary of state from doing anything that would interfere with or violate the right to vote.

Look for this trick to return to your polling place soon. For other Texas tricks, read Richards' book, and prepare to hire good counsel, or give otiose assent to the current winners.

David Richards is a legend in Texas legal circles, and anyone looking for insight into the lone star state's political culture and history would be hard pressed to find a better introduction. Texas politics has been called a contact sport, and David Richards has been an active participant for a lifetime.

The book is filled with insider stories involving everyone from President Johnson and a string of Texas governors (including his former wife Ann Richards) to farm workers. Richards has often taken on powerful interests as a lawyer for labor unions and minorities fighting for civil rights. This is by no means a dry lawyers' casebook, however. Richards has been at the epicenter of liberal culture in Texas; a patron of the long-gone Armadillo World Headquarters and friend to artists, musicians and writers.

It is also a memoir of a leader finding balance and enjoyment in life. This is a fun, enjoyable read that personalizes the turbulent times of the last half century in Texas.

If you've ever chuckled or been provoked by a Mollie Ivins book or column, you'll want to savor this book.

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'.

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!

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!)

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.

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.

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.

This is one of the best marketing books I know of. Written by a marketing pro (and wife of Nike`s first marketing head Rob Strasser) the reader is shown the inner workings of one of the premiere marketing driven corporations of the western world.
This is not the story told by some outsider, who collected his informations from interviews with present and former managers, wrote the book under the dictate of some format guidelines from his publisher (not over 300 pages etc.) who then turned to another project.
My belief is, that J.B.Strasser put her very heart into this book to commemorate the work and achievements of her deceased husband and his work mates at Nike. So she shares with the reader the key facts and episodes, which made Nike successful.
As a marketing pro she also presents a rich picture about those key episodes and actions, which propelled Nike to success.

Great Book! It really surpassed my expectations. A must read for everyone who wants to learn more of sports brands history! great inside stories too...

Work hard, play hard, live hard. The founders and early employees of Nike were driven by this philosophy and responded to the competitive nature of business as they had in the sports world. If you have an interest in athletic shoes, you should find it riveting.

Nike's story is one of the most fascinating in business, especially for those of us that grew up in Nike's prime. The authors did an incredible job of storytelling, starting with a young Phil Knight and his MBA thesis all the way to the early 90's... Lots of inside "dirt" but hardly a gossipy work. You will be amazed at the inner workings of this company.

I found the book easy to read, and had a good plot that kept your interest right up to the end. If you enjoy a good Western, I heartily recommend this "hard to put down" book. You'll enjoy it!!

The art of the Western novel is not dead, as writer C.E. Edmonson brings to life the valor and villainy of the Old West. "Peacemaker of the Pecos" is a refreshingly simple and well-written story with a good old-fashioned hero. My hat's off to you, Mr. Edmonson.

I love westerns and I was pleasantly surprised with this new book, Peacemaker of the Pecos. I cared about the characters, I love the descriptions of the landscapes, I learned from the historical reality of the setting, and I was kept on the edge of my seat my the book's many twists and turns. I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just to those who love westerns, but to anyone who loves a great story!

Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (9/07)

From beginning to end, this western adventure kept me reading. I imagined it to be just another novel about Cowboys, Indians and cattle drives. I couldn't have been more wrong. "Peacemaker of the Pecos" was a story of a town's struggle against tyranny and the evil elements that existed there. The story deals with one man's crusade to rid his town of an evil rancher that wanted to eliminate everyone that got in his way. But what the Hombre didn't count on was William Hart, a simple farmer (they all thought). But William had a secret buried deep inside of him that he wasn't so proud of; a secret that he even kept hidden from his wife and son. That secret would be brought out and William would save the town and all the people in it. Proving that turning the other cheek isn't always the answer.

I will be the first to admit that "I am not a great fan of Western novels," but "Peacemaker of the Pecos" was a very interesting read, from first page to the last. It was more than just a Western story; it had all the makings of a very good adventure. The way it was presented, the characters, plot and climax were a joy to read. I gave it an A and must admit, "I would read another Western that Mr. Edmonson writes, without any hesitation."

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.