Southwest Books

The introduction of this book is almost as good as the fiction and poetry inside. Mardis talks about how these writers are connected even though they live in the five state southwest area. He is right. They are writing about their lives and about how we are more connected by experience than other writing will have us believe. If these are the new black writers of the southwest, boy the New York publishers have really missed the boat!

[reprinted courtesy of The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)]

"KENTE CLOTH" WADES INTO STORYTELLERS' WATERS

From a full-length performance poem in script form to a teen-ager's image-laden perception of self, "Kente Cloth: Southwest Voices of The African Diaspora" (University of North Texas Press) revives on paper the ancient tradition of "griots" or storytellers. James Mardis, an award-winning poet and radio commentator in Dallas, has compiled an anthology that features mostly unpublished writers. Collecting the work of more than 45 scribes primarily from Louisiana and Texas, Mardis has succeeded in capturing the rhythm-and-blues lives of people in a common-folk vernacular. Simple, earnest and true. "Kente Cloth" is divided into four basic categories: Witnesses, Performers, Tellers and Signifiers, with a range of styles and tales that tantalize the reader into jumping into a pool of griots. Jesse Truvillion's "A Stray Dog's Great Day," Nadir Bomani's "Someone's Knockin' at My Door" and Phyllis Allen's "The Red Swing" run the gamut from tribute to modern-day vignette. The poetry of Monica Denise Spears, Bertram Barnes, Zenaura Melynia Smith, Gayle Bell, Freddi Evans, Glenn Joshua, Mawiyah Bomani and Kalamu ya Salaam are lyrical emotion-rides, while the prose of Bernestine Singley, Charley Moon, and James Thomas Jackson invoke fiery responses. "Lovve/Rituals & Rage" by Sharon Bridgforth brings the joy of performance art to the page and the gentle "Soul Soother" by Zenaura Smith, a freshman at John Ehret High School (in New Orleans), offers a touch of innocent love. Even editor Mardis slips in a folktale and a couple of poems, most notably "Sting," an ode that balances lemonade and death. A dozen New Orleans writers add their unique perspectives to this collection, including Michael Ollie Clayton, saddi khali, Cassandra Bailey, Nadir Bomani, Barnes, Evans, Joshua, Perkins, Salaam, Smith, Spears and Mawiyah Bomani. The African-American literary scene is a steadily evolving and expanding landscape, and "Kente Cloth" turns the spotlight around to shine on the South. Mardis wanted this collection to represent the joy of the oral tradition, "The elders may be gone in body, but their lessons linger in the living and sharing of these stories, poems and plays. Listen for the voices...the oral dance of tongue to teeth and song to heart." "Kente Cloth" is a visual tribute to the legions of unscripted griots and a worthy addition to any shelf that holds African-American literature.

Dr. Cavazos gives us a vivid explanation of the reasons that politics gets in the way of educational reform. A man of integrity, he refused to bend to the demands of party politics. His emphasis on parental involvement, early preparation for schoolwork, and yes -- bilingual education -- have outlined a course of action we should all adopt. Cavazos is bilingual from his earliest years. While he notes the importance of the Spanish language for its cultural roots, he emphases that English is the language of our country.

I give this book my highest recommendation.

Dr. Cavazos' story was most inspiring and also entertaining. As he wrote of his days growing up on the King Ranch I could almost feel the dusty wind blowing in my face. His story just shows what anyone can achieve in this country. Having a great pair of parents and other role models just makes it easier. This country got where it is with the help of all the immigrants into our country and this book demonstrates a part of that.

FOLLOWING THE FALL OF VICKSBURG IN JULY 1863 THE CONMFEDERACY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI BACAME A SEPARATE NAIION WITH THE UNDERVALUED GEN EDMUND KIRBY SMITH AS ITS LEADER. THIS GREAT BOOK BRINGS TO LIFE THE WESTERN CONFEDERACY'S ATTEMPST TO MAINTAIN RELATIONS WITH MEXICO FOR THE PURPOSE OF SMUGGLING COTTON FOR ARMS AND SUPPLIES, IT RECOUNTS THE UNION RAIDS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI, AND IT COVERS THE TROUBLED SURRENDER TO THE TEXAS FORCES AT THE END OF THE WAR. FIVE STARS IS TOO FEW FOR THIS BOOK.

....of a book for people like me. If you've bothered to read this, for people like you, too. A book can be "definitive", "essential", neither, or both...this book is definitive, but is probablly essential for only a few dozen people on earth....

This is NOT a biography of General Edmund Kirby Smith; it is the story of his leadership of the Transmississippi Department from 1863 to the end of the war. After distinguished service in Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, Smith was sent west in 1863 because Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes was not up to the job of running a department [he, alas, got to keep Arkansas]. He set up headquarters in Shreveport, LA, and ran a department that included western Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and what is now Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona. After the fall of Vicksburg in July, 1863, Smith was on his own. He was as much a Governor General as he was a General, exercising powers that NO other Officer in American history has had to [the only recent parallel I can think of is the British General Allenby in Palestine after WWI]. Smith had to juggle military necessity [and very different definitions of that] with political reality. He even promoted nine Generals, whose rank is still debated. Further complication came from the fact that many of his subordinate Generals were Robert E. Lee's incompetent rejects, though the worst problems came from the highly competent, but vain and insubordinate, Richard Taylor.

The problems were profound...little money, few resourses, poor transportation. Smith and Taylor fought over whether to concentrate on Arkansas and Missouri [Smith], or Louisiana [Taylor]. Of corruption, there was plenty...witness Santos Benavides' cotton gathering, or the Yankee cotton traders carrying a pass signed by both Smith and Union General Banks, escorted by soldiers from both sides. Still, there were victories; Taylor's Red River campaign was a masterpiece; Dowling's victory at Sabine Pass was one of the greatest in history, small though it was; Stand Watie and the other Indians in Oklahoma were viable right to the end. Indeed, Smith was the last major Confederate commander to surrender, and Watie was the last general of any rank.

If you REALLY want to know about an obscure aspect of the Civil War, read this profoundly great book. Be warned; it is 600+ pages of heavy going. I am a fan of General Smith, and, though I live in Virginia, have an interest in the topic. If you don't, don't waste time, money, and shelf space.

The illustrations are wonderful. I am taking my 9-year-old grand daughter to Arizona and New Mexico for vacation. I am not Native American, but was born in New Mexico. I want Sky to learn about the ways of the Native American and the beauty of that area. This will be a great read on our trip.

Wonderfully illustrated by Michelle Tsosie Sisneros, Kokopelli's Gift is a charming and highly recommended fable by Kathleen Bryant about a famous female figure of Native American Pueblo lore known as Kokopelli the Flute Player. The extraordinary color paintings enhance the simple yet effective narrative to bring this engaging story to life for young readers age 5 to 10.

As we read each story, we hear the voice of the person who told it -- this is the book's greatest strength and the source of its charm. An excellent addition to any library on Hispanic culture.

I picked up this book expecting it to be one story, but it's actually about 50 stories, all "as told to" the author by various people, and all of the stories are very unusual and unique. Some of them are very, very funny, others very poignant, each of them in the voice of the person telling the story, which holds the reader's attention. The book is in English, but there are dichos interspersed throughout along with Spanish words. For anyone interested in this old legend, don't overlook this; it's definitely a keeper and a good reference book.

This book is both practical and visually appealing. It provides basic gardening instructions and includes a full color visual encyclopedia of native Southern California plants. I recommend it to anyone in Southern California who is searching for a more environmentally friendly way to landscape.

excellent book. very informative. I am planning on giving a lecture on native plants and butterfly host plants so this book is an excellent source.

I found this book in our local library and liked it so well that I am pruchasing one. The plant listings and discriptions are concise and complete. There us information on propagation, altitude requirements, alternate species and group planting suggestions. All in all, a very good book for the high desert and native plant gardener, particularly for the new desert dweller.

I found this book in our local library and liked it so well that I am pruchasing one. The plant listings and discriptions are concise and complete. There us information on propagation, altitude requirements, alternate species and group planting suggestions. All in all, a very good book for the high desert and native plant gardener, particularly for the new desert dweller.

Davis Ford has compiled a labor of love, this by capturing the thoughts, ideas and personas of an era that is quickly leaving us. Just as Tom Brokow has referred to those who participated in WWII as members of a great generation, so are those whom Dr. Ford memoralizes in his book. You can almost hear the campfire crackle as the cowboys discuss their lives in a time soon to be remembered only by the false pictures generated by Hollywood of men who are truely of the ages. Everyone who has even sat astride of a horse, or watched John Wayne in action, needs to read this book to hear the true story of the American west and the men who made history, and won a country, in their own quiet way. This book will be read 100 years from now by those who want to know the true story of the American west and those that left their own personal brand on our country.

In his excellent book, The Last Cowboy, Davis Ford creates a colorful mosaic not only of Leroy Webb but also of many other authentic cowboys - as well as the development of an entire region. The format of the book enhances the story with quotes encased in barbed wire, action pictures, regional maps and appropriate quotations interspersed in the text. The Last Cowboy is an outstanding chronology of an era told through ancestral history, geographical details and economic facts woven into telling the life story of Webb. It is a pleasure to read this well-researched and well-crafted history, augmented by humorous anecdotes and the personal observations of the author.

This book methodically moves through Peter MacDonald's political life, but offers a biting criticism of the hypocritical nature of American politics. How can it be, MacDonald ask, that congressional people can do what I did, and NOT be held accountable for their actions? This compelling question is often repeated throughout the book & does deserve serious treatment by Indian and nonIndian scholars alike. MacDonald also eludes of "two standards of justice" for American politicians, an undisputed standard that is clearly separated by color! This book is essential reading for those interested in the rise and fall of a modern-day Indian leader and the compromises he has made to maintain his political life.

Great comprehensive look into the making of a Navajo leader. From Peter MacDonald's birth to his incarceration he wanted only to serve his people. The book is also a great historical look at the dynamics of Navajo tribal government and politics. He was truly a leader of his people who had the vision and the foresight to take on the "great" United States. Even 500 years plus, the U.S. is still taking down Indian leaders today! Write U.S. President Clinton for Peter MacDonald's release from federal prison today

This is part 2 of Arthur Kopecky's published journals written while a member of the New Buffalo commune in the highlands of New Mexico some 35-40 years ago. It is an incredibly enlightening story that holds many a lesson for us today. The question is: will we be able to ultimately live together on this planet? At New Buffalo, the world seemed to be represented in microcosm. All the joy, sadness, achievement, failure, agreement, conflict... everything that life holds, was experienced by a group of courageous, hard working, loving (and sometimes embattled) participants in a daring social experiment. The narrative is incredibly real and filled with the kind of human detail that makes for the most compelling reading. I couldn't put it down and was profoundly impressed. Arthur's introduction and epilogue provide a point of relevance to today's world. Many of the same issues that confronted these young people are hanging over the heads of today's youth. It's just possible that we may be able to make a change by applying again some of the ideas represented in these writings... By all means, read both books, New Buffalo and Leaving New Buffalo!

At the Bolinas commune, I couldn't figure out why Arthur Kopecky was under the covers with a flashlight every night writing in his diary when everyone else was sound asleep. A couple years later when I caught up with him at New Buffalo, he was still at it. As the decades passed, I wondered if anything ever came of it. In 2004, I googled the recently published *New Buffalo, Journals of a Taos Commune,* which was published to great critical acclaim. This second book is a real cliffhanger: How will the visionary leader end up leaving New Buffalo? Arty was always criticizing everyone else for lack of commitment. He must get kicked out, but how could the world's most committed communard be forced off the farm he had coaxed up from a patch of Taos desert? Who will the bad guys turn out to be? Yes, a nail-biter, but more important, a vindication of the 60s. It is disheartening that nearing the end of oil, the media continues to denigrate the important accomplishments of the back-to-the-land movement. Arthur Kopecky's journals are living proof that the "hippie trip" had a point, and in fact was often very focused. They show that city folk, with a lot of hard work, can survive on a self-sustainable farm without food stamps (if the government will leave them alone; with the wars on drugs, terrorism, and immigrants and possibly a new draft, the government will be even more an issue in the future). As we approach the end of oil as cities become increasingly unlivable, many will by design or destiny find themselves in a country way. The successes and failures at New Buffalo are instructive, and they are entertainingly and heartbreakingly described in these journals. Most important in the demise of New Buffalo was the lack of initial structure. But this book is not a primer on how to structure a commune. For that, google the 40-year-old Twin Oaks and hundreds more at the Foundation for Intentional Communities site. Read these journals for the joy of the ride: for the beautiful descriptive passages of the land and its inhabitants and the hilarious anecdotes, for the exhausting and elating interpersonal relationships, for the late night runs across the moonlit mesa, for a high-fashion Halloween party in the kiva after the day in the dairy, for the almost-forgotten appointment at the clinic kept covered with goat cum. Read it to your children to laugh together and give them hope for the future. Who knows what the future of Arthur Kopecky, a.k.a. Answei Livingproof, will bring? I can't wait to find out, and I hope there will be more journals to read. (You don't have to read the first book to "get" this one; it briefly recaps the first.)