Arizona Books

A fascinating and thorough look at the immigration situation seen through several facets of live in Nogales, Mexico. Davidson brings her journalistic skills to bare in making meaning of a complex topic and breathing humanity into the situation.

Miriam Davidson's book is appropriately researched, well written, and full of personal anecdotes from her experiences in the twin borders cities of Nogales Arizona|Sonora. She explores key issues of social justice and environmental degradation in 'maquiladora' communities in Mexico.
I visited Nogales USA & Mexico in 1999, and saw little evidence of the poverty or ecological troubles that Davidson skillfully brings to light in her book. Her description of the Mexican children who live in the cities' sewer tunnel systems is heart-rending; the issues of poverty, drug running, environmental degradation, poor health of residents, economic disparity between USA and Central America, corruption, gender inequality, crime, and the mixed role played by maquila businesses are all interwoven, and Davidson does a great job of illustrating this.
One of the most remarkable stories in the book relates to an accomplished American woman of Mexican ancestry who has her new vehicle stolen from the streets of Tucson, AZ by members of the Nogales, Mexico police force. Her response to this injustice is both amazing and inspiring.
I highly recommend not only "Lives on the Line", but the related books "Coyotes", by Ted Conover, and "Crossing Over", by Ruben Martinez.

must also read Miriam Davidson's "Lives on the Line." Maybe I'm a bit biased since I live here in Southern Arizona twelve miles north of our border with Mexico. But Davidson writes such sweet, firsthand-experience prose about other realities I see here -- like the Mexican migrants who have, for decades, crossed the border to keep Americans fat and sassy. The risks they now are taking have become obscenely dangerous, with the US spending billions upon billions to protect-- futiley -- our southern border.

Davidson's book is the first one I've read from cover-to-cover in one sitting since I read Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." She's actually the better writer who shares the same themes.

But one does not have to live near the border with Mexico to understand that our friendly, much older, south-of-the-border nation's problems are really ours.

Besides, the Mexican border is now up in Minnesota -- isn't it, really?

This is a must read.

I read 40+ pgs of this book in the bookstore alone. I just moved to Nogales, AZ in January and I have found this book to be very helpful in providing me a background of the Ambos Nogales areas. The book is very well written and keeps you interested from cover to cover. Living in the area and being able to directly relate to the book is a plus, however anyone interested in the US-Mexico Border would find this book to be a spectacular read. Enjoy!!

The authors have tuned their talents, and the characters are preparing to dance to the music of this brilliant collection of who-dunnits. Medley of Murder takes you to the theater of the mind where instruments of intrigue, mystery and romance are about to play. So snuggle down, light a candle, and enjoy this symphony of stories for mystery lovers and anyone else who enjoys a cracking-good tale.

This is a delightful collection of stories about murder - each with a diferent slant and approach. Some are humorous, some are literary, all are worth reading. Like a delightful treat at the end of a meal, each of these works is a pleasure on your reading palate.

Great assortment of stories, enjoyed them all. Well written, good variety, held my interest - didn't want to put it down once I started reading.

I highly recommend this collection of 15 distinct short stories, each with its own surprise twist at the end. The authors all add a different spice to the mix, some with more bite than others.

Good guide for rock hounds, covers a wide range of minerals, fossils, etc......haven't actually used this field guide, but from what I can tell it seems a lot more accurate/recent than some of the other field guides out there.

I have the older 1999 edition of this book, and even so, it is much better than Gem Trails of Arizona by Mitchell and FAR superior to Rockhounding Arizona by Blair.

It not only provides information about sites that one can actually collect at (unlike Blair, which describes many sites closed to the public), the maps are fantastic, the directions superb, and the difficulty in reaching, finding and collecting at each site is given in any easy to understand format. This is definitely my "go to" book when I want to get down and dirty with Arizona's minerals.

At some point, I'll have to get the updated version though, because some of the sites I've been to, while nice, appeared well picked over.

A very handy reference for Arizona rockhounds. There are plenty of worthwhile sites with good background info and good written directions to the sites.

The only (small) problem is with the GPS coordinates. Many of them are wrong - so don't just plug them into your GPS as waypoints and expect to get there! If you are planning on using your GPS, do a sanity check BEFORE going out, check your maps and verify the GPS position is correct first.

On the other hand, you really don't need a GPS at all - the written directions to the collecting areas are very good.

This book is a valuable resource for the amateur rock and mineral collector. It is an important update to the author's earlier book, Minerals of Arizona. The topo maps are clear and extremely valuable, and the GPS info should be of help to those who rely on modern technology. The question of access to sites on private land is addressed, although only minimally, especially in this age of increased interest in small-scale mining. Road and trail access to many of the sites is very difficult, and prospectors need to be very well prepared to visit many of them.

An immensely beautiful book. Awing in its sensitivity, delicacy, and completeness of language - "sculptured in the heavens," one thinks as one looks up. On every page, in every paragraph, there is caring for - more than caring, a love affair with - its subject.

But I can add little beyond admiration to Eileen Berton's fine little sketch of it below.

This book is remarkable for its breadth and depth, and for its fluid and totally enjoyable narrative. Montgomery brings a scholarly, well-organized, imaginatively catholic mind to his study of the moon, as mapped, observed, and imagined by Western minds. His enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. He discusses the early cartography so important to popular conceptions of the moon, the moon's complex and changing relationship to Christianity and Judaism, philosophy, mathematics, literature, and art. Importantly, he provides an orderly and very interesting history of Western conceptions of "the first modern planet." The Arab contribution to astronomy is detailed. The relationship of mathematics to astronomy is also explored, fluidly and appropriately for the lay person. Galileo, Copernicus, and scores of lesser-known astronomers and scientists come to life in this book. "The British Contribution," a chapter on sixteenth century lunar pioneers Dr. Wm. Gilbert and Thomas Harriot, is excellent. Montgomery also analyzes cartographic evidence - and provides commentary. This book combines scholarship with a fine and elegant narrative, the bibliography is terrific, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this subject, which becomes downright thrilling in this book.

This book is remarkable for its breadth and depth, and for its fluid and totally enjoyable narrative. Montgomery brings a scholarly, well-organized, imaginatively catholic mind to his study of the moon. His enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. He discusses the early cartography so important to popular conceptions of the moon, the moon's complex and changing relationship to Christianity and Judaism, philosophy, mathematics,literature, and art. Importantly, he provides an orderly and very interesting history of Western conceptions of "the first modern planet." The Arab contribution to astronomy is detailed. The relationship of mathematics to astronomy is also explored, fluidly and appropriately for the lay person. Galileo, Copernicus, and scores of lesser-known astronomers and scientists come to life in this book. "The Britsh Contribution," a chapter on sixteenth century lunar pioneers Dr. Wm. Gilbert Thomas Harriot, is particularly well-told. Montgomery also analyzes cartographic evidence - and provides commentary. This book combines scholarship with a fine and elegant narrative, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this subject, which becomes downright thrilling in this book.

What is it about the Moon that captures the fancy of humankind? A silvery disk hanging in the night sky, it conjures up images of romance and magic. It has been counted upon to foreshadow important events, both of good and ill, and its phases for eons served humanity as its most accurate measure of time. With the invention of the telescope at the turn of the seventeenth century-coinciding with the rise of the scientific revolution-the Moon took on new meaning as a tangible place with mountains and valleys and craters that could be named and geological features and events that could be studied.

Geologist Scott L. Montgomery has produced a richly detailed analysis of how the Moon has been visualized in Western culture through the ages, revealing the faces it has presented to philosophers, writers, artists, and scientists for nearly three millennia. To do this, he has drawn on a wide array of sources that illustrate the changing concept of nature and the significance of heavenly bodies from classical antiquity to the dawn of modern science.

Montgomery especially focuses on the seventeenth century, when the Moon was first mapped and its features named. He explores in depth the literary works of Francis Godwin's "Man in the Moone" and Cyrano de Bergerac's "L'autre monde." But he also carries the story to the present, showing how humanity has over time elevated the Moon to a sublime level.

As Montgomery concluded, humans have always assigned a close approximation of the Earth to lunar ideas. When we ultimately colonize the Moon the irony is that we will be setting up shop on a world steeped in a deep human tradition of imagination and history. This is a superb work that explains far more effectively than other works on the subject, the lure of the Moon for humanity.

This is the best horse book I've ever read. Leeann loves horses so much it must have been hard not being allowed to ride whenever she wanted to. This book tells you it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, but on the inside. More than a horse was so easy to understand. I had a perfect picture in my mind from a page of words. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had this book since I was younger. I am seventeen now, but I used to read this book constantly. It was a joy to read, but I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, because it never really solved the problem of her moving back to Charlotte. She will still be moving, so in a way, it wasn't a very happy ending. It was more of a bitter sweet finish...

More Than A Horse is about a girl who her father's dead and she lives with her mother. They have to move to a new place because her mother found a good-paying job. She likes this place because its on a ranch- with lots of horses. If she gets along with Amos, the head wrangler, she gets to ride horses whenever there's one available. She meets great new friend from school, helps a handicapped kid, finds a horse that she loves dearly, and more.

This book is on MY best book reviews.
It captures real issues like the theriputic riding programs and friendships with horses and fellow riders AND family.
The only thing i'd love to see more of is the trail ride on the Percherons to find find Sassy.
Gushy stuff!
Overall: fantastic horselover fantasy!

After writing for two newspapers in the greater Los Angeles area, I moved to Yuma and was called to be on a five week jury trial about a man who alledgedly murdered his wife.
The opening statements were so bizarre, I was captivated at once and knew that I had to write about the case. And so it was that I took copious notes that were taken away from me at the end of the trial! I felt that it should be public information at that point and was miffed to say the least! After three years of not getting it off my mind, I decided to go to the Clerk of the Superior Court's office and begin to take notes from the transcripts. I gained insights that the jury wasn't privy to. I also obtained a copy of the huge police report. Just taking notes took me six months as I didn't have a lap-top computer at the time.
So after about chapter 13 had been written, I became seriously ill and was diagnosed with a brain tumor and severe electrolyte embalance. I was in the ICU for eleven days and the hospital a month. I was like a three year old when I got out. I didn't know my husband or children at first. I couldn't remember words. I was brain damaged for two years and a doctor told me it was permanent. I knew that after all the years of college, it was a great loss, as I'd always valued my knowlege most of all.
Finally, after two years, my brain seemed to re-route itself and much of my long-term memory came back. It's been a long road and difficult to finish the book, now that I'm fighting spelling problems and typing problems that I never had before. I have amnesia for 2003 and some of 2004. Just two days ago I figured out that I got out of the hospital four years ago instead of five, like I thought, which makes the pets younger than I thought, but somehow I'm still the right age! So time is still difficult for me and short-term memory loss is embarrassing.
Despite my problems, I am getting so many compliments about the book that are so heart-warming. It's nice to know that people can relate to everything that I wrote. Some have said that they felt like they were there on the jury too. I even got compliments and quotes from one of the prosecutors who wanted to know why I changed his name! He even bought a book for his dad too.
I was, according to the doctor, "just hours away from dying" when I arrived in emergency and happy to have come back to this world to finish writing my book for people who have enjoyed reading it. And those of you who are pestering me for the next one, I'M WORKING ON IT! Best Wishes, Cher

'Murder by Gravity?' is a true crime drama that captures ones imagination and keeps one turning pages long into the night. The cast of characters is so strangely interwoven that it leaves the reader with questions that only real life is capable of presenting. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I find myself looking forward to her next offering.

I think the book is well written and the characters facinating. However, not the type I would invite home to tea. I honestly felt as though I was sitting in the jury box. I do recommend it to any one who enjoys Ann Rule and true crime stories. The story delivers all that's promised in the blurb

This is a perfect murder mystery. I was engrossed by this book from beginning to end. It was hard to believe it was a true story. Just the fact that one person could do that to another! Can't wait till it's made into a movie. Looking forward to her next book. She's a wonderful writer.

`Murder Unpunished: How the Aryan Brotherhood Murdered Waymond Small and Got Away with It' by Thornton W. Price III, has brought to life the events that I only remembered through newscast snippets and the occasional news paper editorial.

`Murder Unpunished' allows the reader to contemplate the concepts of the law being rational, yet the interpretation of the law may seem irrational. The reader can also reflect on why a person can act despicable yet still receive grace. Mr. Price presents the reader with an opportunity to question the concepts of revenge and universal justice. These themes of duality, like old friends, are revisited here in the pages penned by Mr. Price from his autobiographical and historic perspectives that have matured over time. He is unapologetic.

I for one wish to apologize for the state of Arizona's justice.

This book was very informitive about the code that convicts live under. Its a testament to learning to keeping your mouth shut when you do some dirt. Prison gangs are hardcore and the Aryan Brotherhood was formed in california with blood and sacrafice to protect white inmates, anybody who joins knows the commitment they are making as a soildier ( blood in blood out )

Inmates bent on running the asylum in an out-of-control prison dominated by homicidal gangs. Official corruption. Fraudulent land scales. A car bombing. Jurisdictional struggles. Hypnosis. A hung-over judge. Prosecutorial misconduct. A senile attorney.
What might sound like the ingredients of an over-wrought novel are the facts of Durango author Thornton W. Price III's nonfiction true crime book, "Murder Unpunished," published by The University of Arizona Press on July 1.
The cast of characters includes a future U.S. Supreme Court justice (Sandra Day O'Connor), a future Democratic presidential candidate (Bruce Babbitt) and the man who pioneered the psychological autopsy (Dr. Otto Bendheim).
But most of the players in this extraordinary peek at Arizona State Prison run amok came straight from Satan's casting call, even down to the unfortunate Waymond Small, possibly one of the nation's least likable murder victims.
The time is the late 1970s. In less than two years, there have been 14 murders and dozens of assaults at Arizona State Prison. The Arizona Republic has cast a relentless eye on the mayhem. The political pressure to do something ratchets up. And finally the Aryan Brotherhood takes a bridge too far with the murder of Small on the eve of his testimony to the state legislature.
Price, the author, was a young attorney. One of the inmates charged in connection with Small's death-a group collectively known as the Florence Eleven-ends up being Price's first murder case.
Tempting though it must have been, Price wisely avoids much use of the first-person in this economically written account of five murder trials. When he does resort to it, it's justified by the insight it offers.
My own first nonfiction true crime book, "Someone Has to Die Tonight," is scheduled to be published as a Pinnacle mass market paperback in March. I know the challenge Price took on in combing through 16,000 pages of court records and conducting interviews with key players for his narrative.
I also know how his involvement in the case probably made the task harder. I became a confidential informant in the case of a self-styled teen militia that I was documenting. Separating oneself from the story and keeping the narrative focused becomes more difficult when there's a personal connection.
The Florence Eleven was the case for Price: The case that every cop, attorney or crime reporter knows about-the one you never forget. In spite of this, Price showed remarkable discipline in his writing, and it serves his readers well.
My literary attorney, Bob Pimm, counseled me to make my book a train ride that readers wouldn't want to get off. The train needs to take off in the first chapter, he said, and the reader needs to want to say on all the way to the end.
Price kept me on the train.
"Murder Unpunished" has moments of writing that jumps out for its eloquence or economy. He describes one murder in two pithy sentences: "Even with a loaded gun to his head, the idiot wouldn't shut up. He'd dared him to shoot, so he did."
And here's how one of the large cast is introduced: "With a thin, six-foot-seven-inch frame, Jerry Joe `Stretch' Hillyer looked like he'd survived the rack."
And here, another: "Born in Scottsdale one week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tidwell's life began in as much ruin as the Pacific Fleet."
Price knows we need humor in a dark tale ridden with murder, rape and drug abuse, and he finds it (somehow it always seems to be there, even in the darkest crime, often because of the extraordinary stupidity of some criminals, whose choices in life seem determined to provide job security for police and prosecutors).
"Did you see anything?" a tired investigator asks in one of 650 inmate interviews after Small's murder.
"No."
"Would you tell us if you had seen anything?"
And then there's Price's account of the state's attempts to hypnotize a witness, a chapter that may alone justify the book's $17.95 cover price.
True crime is a tempting genre for the very reason that makes readers sometimes skeptical the writer could really know all he portrays. How could we know people's thoughts? How could we recapture dialog years after the fact?
It's possible because of the uniquely thorough nature of investigative and court records, around which entire books can be built. It's not an easy task sifting thousands of pages for the specks of gold that add up to a compelling narrative. There are a lot of mediocre true crime books out there. Price's is not one of them.
Here we find a writer unafraid to show a criminal's sheer enjoyment of violence. A writer who's resisted the temptation to include every fact or exchange he personally finds compelling, restraint that must sometimes have been painful.
He knows court procedure and introduces us to terms such as the "slow-form guilty plea"-the trial of someone obviously guilty from the get-go.
He shows us the Mau Maus, the Mexican Mafia, the Native Brotherhood and the Aryan Brotherhood out of control in Arizona's penal system and what was done to fix it. He gets the prison language of kites, fish and punks exactly right in a sometimes profane book that avoids overdosing on cussing and violence.
He explains very well why prison crimes are so singularly hard to investigate.
Down among the human dross, Price somehow emerges with none of the nastiness sticking to him or the reader. Better, he somehow makes us care.
He gives fascinating insight into how the Aryan Brotherhood worked, like a business. And he offers some motivation without making excuses for his unattractive cast.
The case comes as close to Durango as Chimney Rock, just off Highway 160.
Despite a misprint in the spelling of Price's name on the cover (one of those palm to the forehead blunders that has probably cost some hapless copyeditor restful sleep) "Murder Unpunished" is otherwise flawlessly edited.
This is entertaining, educational and compelling. I hope Price will find another case somewhere in his career worth writing about.

Murder Unpunished: How the Aryan Brotherhood Murdered Waymond Small and Got Away With It is a telling example of the truth that entering prison is like entering another culture or country. The rules, customs, and behaviors are foreign to those in the free world. People outside of the walls will never be able to appreciate or accept. The problem, however, is that the prisons are within our country and need to abide by the laws of the United States of America. This book did an excellent job of asking the question, "does justice occur after incarceration?" The short answer is, no. The bigger question to ask is, "when will this country enact laws that can adequately deal with prison gangs and the control that they have in our criminal justice system?" This book is a telling example of all the state and federal correctional facilities will experience with any prison gangs that occupy them. It is a must read for all correctional employees and lawmakers.

My 5-year old daughter received this book as a gift and she and I absolutely love it. Not only does it wonderfully portray the diversity of two cultures and traditions (Native American and Mexican) and the caring relationship between a young girl and her abuela/grandmother, the illustrations add depth, color and vibrancy that reminds me of my Southwestern roots. San Miquel shows a unique ability to add warmth, depth and a vividness of color through her illustrations which I found engages the reader and and adds interest. A fantasic book for new readers. Every library should have one.

Ronnie's work on this book has given many of us a glimpse into the infrastructure of the cultural dimensions of the peoples that have lived and are still very much alive in the areas of Northern Mexico and The American Southwest.

This book will bring joy to children and adults alike. The story shows the closeness of a grandmother and grandchild while utilizing holistic values that have been a part of the Mexican and Native American tradition for hundreds of years. The illustrations are vibrant and exciting to the eyes and are definitely some of the best that I have seen in some time. Edna San Miguel (illustrator) goes beyond the normal (and sometimes dull)illustration techniques that we usually see and adds her own touch of talent and brilliancy that will keep you wanting more.

My Nana's Remedies/Los Remedios de mi Nana is a beautifully presented bilingual children's picturebook (written in both English and Spanish by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford) about the traditional home remedies that a grandmother lovingly prepares for her granddaughter. Warm, playful color illustrations by Edna San Miguel, celebrate the fulfillment of family obligations and the enhancing of a caring relationship make My Nana's Remedies a very special and most enjoyable book for budding bilingual readers.

this book made me cry. The pictures he captures, especially of the textiles are poetic and seriously moving. I am definately buying a copy of this book for my mom.

Jonathon B. Wittenberg's book does a wonderful job of capturing life as it is in Navajo culture through a Navajo-centered lens as opposed to a Western-lens. I think Tony Hillerman's quote on the back of the book does a wonderful job of capturing my feeling for the Navajo people after reading this book: " What I saw there [the Big Rez] sparked my love affair with The Navajos, their enduring culture of love, good humor and harmony, and the high, dry, dramatic landscape in which they endure. This is a beautiful and valuable book." I certainly fell in love with the Navajos after reading this remarkable book, and I encourage others to read this book to gain further understanding and appreciation for the incredible Navajos.

This is a beautiful, heart warming collection of images, outstanding for the quality of the photographs and above all for the choice of subjects, made with great sensitivity and an obvious love and admiration for the culture it portrays. Viewing Jonathan Wittenberg's photographs will be a memorable experience, especially for Tony Hillerman fans.

Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life In Photographs is a compilation of 100 black-and-white duotone-printed photographs taken by Jonathan B. Wittenberg to record and illustrate life on the Navajo reservation in 1950. Truly capturing with an artist's eye the dignity and beauty of an ancient Native American culture surviving in the midst of the broader mid-20th century American nation, Navajo Nation 1950 is a showcase of photographic excellence taken with a bulky, twin-lens reflex camera enabling the preservation through a photographic record of the Navajo people and culture that includes images from the Monument Valley, Black Mesa, Navajo Mountain, Lukachukai (a high bench between the Chuska mountains to the east and the desert plain to the west), Teas Toh (close to the old Highway 66), the Window Rock Navajo Tribal Fair, and the Canyon de Chelley. Enhanced for scholars as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in Navajo culture with an index to the photographs, and appendix (Progress of a Shootings Chant), and a Navajo reservation map, Navajo Nation 1950 is a welcome addition to personal and academic Photography and Native American Studies collections.

This was one of the most beautiful & interesting books I've ever read. The pictures are breathtaking. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history.

What beautiful pictures ...waves of emotions rippled thru my soul as I turned these timeless pages. Truly a gift to those fortunate enough to find this book in their hands. The history was as incredible as the Sunrise of course!

I saw this book mentioned on NBC Nightly News and decided to get a copy as a gift for my brother, just about all I can find to complain about is the long shipping time and the fact that it only comes as a paperback, not hardback.
Both in Mr. Hillerman's forward and in the photographer's own text you get some Navajo history and philosophy about how/why things happened and their beliefs. Apparently the ancestral Navajos considered four mountains to be the boundaries of their territory, much of that land is still inside present day reservation borders.
The book is divided into four sections, by mountain and north,south,east and west. Each section of the land is represented by some very nice photography, some of it similar to what you might have seen before but more often unfamiliar scenery. It's well worth owning.

The pictures will take your breath away. Absolutely magnificent. The photographer has managed to capture the beauty and sacredness of his land. What a gift!