Texas Books

For most presses, East European studies is a dying breed, consigned to the periphery by Europe's metamorphoses and other global challenges. However, Granville (history, Stanford Univ.) examines an event that retains stinging memories almost 50 years later--the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The author explored archives accessible only after the Cold War, and had extraordinary cooperation from archivists in Moscow, Budapest, and elsewhere. Kadar, Nagy, Rakosi, Tito, Khrushchev, Eisenhower, Dulles, and other personalities, as well as arcane communist and democratic bureaucracies, are revealed through countless archival fragments. Granville is at her best telling the interwoven story of 1956. Ultimately, Granville's analysis leads to a no-fault conclusion, suggesting that misperceptions and misconceptions among all actors led to the disastrous outcome. Recommended for graduate students and above.-- D.N. Nelson, University of New Haven

Johanna Granville is one of the most industrious and talented of the scholars who have seized upon new archival opportunities to deepen our understanding of the Cold War. For _The First Domino_, the author has scoured archives in Europe and the United States in an effort to find out how the principal actors arrived at decisions regarding the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Matters, as she writes, were not as simple as they once appeared. Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders bad difficulty, for example, deciding whether or not to suppress the uprising by force. In fact, they voted not to intervene one day (October 28)before they ordered decisive military action (October 31). Some of what she has uncovered is already known: that Imre Nagy denounced some of his countrymen during his years in Soviet Russia (1930-44) and that he did not invite the initial Soviet invasion of October 23-24. But thanks to Granville's linguistic abilities, she has shed new light on the seemingly inexplicable conduct of Poland's Wladyslaw Gomulka and Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito. Moreover, she has helped to clarify Janos Kadar's decision to betray Nagy and the revolution. In a particularly compelling chapter, Granville examines the role the United States played before and during the revolution. She concludes that the Eisenhower Administration's talk of "rollback" and "liberation," when combined with U.S. intelligence operations and psychological warfare, may have led Soviet leaders to fear a U.S. intervention and, thus, to opt for a harder line. Above all, however, Granville reminds us of historical contingency. Those who have studied the revolution have sometimes taken the view that Hungarians and Soviets acted out of necessity. Granville herself thinks that given Hungarians' historic detestation of Russia and communism, revolution was bound to erupt; and Nagy's "trial and probably ... execution were inevitable." She should have written "were very likely," because elsewhere she observes that if the Soviets had removed Stalinist dictator Matyas Rakosi sooner, there might not have been a revolution; and that had there been no Polish crisis of October 19-20, Budapest's students might not have demonstrated on October 23. "No event," she wisely concludes, "is ever predestined; individuals can make rational choices to change the course of history at any given moment." ---Lee Congdon, Professor of History, James Madison University._History: Review of New Books_ (Summer 2004),v 32, i4: p 147.

Dr. Granville's book is without question a first-rate, well-researched monograph. She uses Hungarian documents that even Hungarians have not read, sometimes presenting them in dialogue form (Chapter 3). The books reads like a novel in some places. (...)

This long-awaited review of archival records dealing with the Hungarian uprising of 1956 is destined to appear on numerous Cold War historians' bibliographies. It is a meticulously researched study, a grand example of erudite scholarship in its truest sense. Dr. Granville's examination of declassified documents is exhaustively and exhaustingly thorough.

Johanna Granville's The First Domino: International Decision Making during the Hungarian Crisis of 1956 (...), a pioneering work on East European Cold War history, confirms that when President Eisenhower had his chance to redeem the Republican campaign pledge to "roll back" the Soviet occupation of Hungary, he failed and thus perpetuated that occupation for three more decades.
This is a remarkable study of Cold War history because the author, at home in Russian and other languages, has availed herself of recently opened Soviet and other archives to describe how Hungary became the first "domino" in a process that "resulted ultimately in the Soviet Union's loss of hegemony over Eastern Europe in 1989."
The Hungarian revolt resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and the flight of over 200,000 refugees to the West. It is worth noting that a far smaller group of earlier Hungarian refugees, who fled to America from a Nazi-endangered Europe, helped build the first atomic bomb during World War II.
Chapter 6 of "The First Domino" is the most fascinating, since it explores U.S. psychological warfare and covert activities in Eastern Europe during the 1950s, including broadcasts by Radio Free Europe.---Washington Times, March 21, 2004 by Arnold Beichman, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

The start of the book was slow but necessary to get some background into the characters that populate the book. Then, things really start to take off. 1/3rd of the way through, I could not put it down.

As a Texas genealogist, I found this book really compelling. As I read through it, I surfed over to Ancestry.com to pull the 1920 census from Freestone county Texas. This helped to flesh out the characters all the more. I was amazed to learn that of the sampling of the census records I reviewed (2 of 10 districts) over half of the inhabitants were black or latino. This points up another injustice that is often overlooked historically: These were taxpayers that were supporting the government that was hobbling them in every way.

While some may be amazed at what "God fearing" citizens would do in a mob, I, for one am not. I am never amazed at the violence perpetrated by our White fore fathers though I am often saddened. A land born of blood will take a very long time to shed itself of that origin. We can't do it over night and it seems as though a couple of hundred years won't be enough time either.

Kudos to Mr Akers on his well researched work.

Much of what is taught of Texas history in schools points to the proud and honorable past of our state. Flames After Midnight tells of a part of our history that we are too often reluctant to relate, but a pert of our past that we should never forget. The outrage of which should never be repeated.

What can cause civil, "God fearing" citizens of a small Texas community to commit such atrocities? What can cause the breakdown of rule of law and complete abandonment of American values? What can convince individuals that it is necessary and proper to burn a man alive on the town square of their community?
This book is a reminder that hatred and evil does not just live in some foreign land or some corrupt urban metropolis. It exists down the street and may be harbored by our neighbor or our drinking buddy.
While the events of this book happened more than 80 years ago, the author conveys what we Texans know; Too many civil "God fearing" people in our communities would say "he had it comin to him".
This book is important not just to Texans but to everyone to remind us that the monster is still there and can still be awakened. This book reminds us that we must be forever vigilant, not just in a small Texas town but anywhere.

Much of what is taught of Texas history in schools points to the proud and honorable past of our state. Flames After Midnight tells of a part of our history that we are too often reluctant to relate, but a pert of our past that we should never forget. The outrage of which should never be repeated.

"Flames After Midnight" is an expertly researched and documented bit of history that reads like a suspense novel. I was so interested in the drama of the events and people that it was easy to forget it is real - its reality of course, makes the book even more important. A great read for fans of suspense and history buffs alike.

"Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun" by Frank "Foo" Fujita, with Stanley L. Falk. Subtitled: "The Secret Prison Dairy of Frank "Foo" Fujita". University of North Texas Press, 1993.

This is an interesting book on many different levels. First, it is the story of a World War II Prisoner Of War. But not just any POW: Frank "Foo" Fujita was a Japanese-American, perhaps the only Japanese-American who was held as a POW in Japan. And, on the third level, "Foo" was a Texan and a member of the Texas National Guard. His unit was called up, to be sent to the south Pacific, and, after the sneak attack, on Pearl Harbor, they were diverted to Australia. The 2nd Battalion, 131st field Artillery was assigned to the defense of the Dutch island of Java, where they were overrun by the Japanese. Most of us have forgotten the American units that were part of the ABDA, American, British, Dutch and Australian forces in this theater, with, perhaps the major exception being the cruiser, the U.S. S. Houston. (See, for example, pages 345-346, where a contemporary "bird-colonel" does not believe that Fujita's unit was never in the Pacific.)

To make the story even more interesting, Sergeant Fujita was an accomplished sketch artist, and he includes contemporary drawings of himself and of the Japanese mistreating POWs. So, on this level, he has enhanced his story visually. His entire diary was in a code of his own fabrication. His diary and his drawings were hidden in a wall of a building in his POW camp; the diary and drawings were recovered after the war. This recovered material makes this book a primary source for the history of Japanese-held POWs.

Excellent primary source supported by explanatory notes supplied by Stanley L. Falk.

Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is the true and riveting account of Frank "Foo" Fujita's experiences of being a Japanese American combat soldier who was captured by the Japanese during the Pacific campaign of World War II during the defense of Java in early 1942. Based on his secret prison diary, we are provided a "window in time" regarding the daily life and experiences of a prisoner of war which vividly recounts the privations of the POWs and the living conditions in Japan. The text is illustrated with drawings, maps and photographs. What is surprising is the humor that was to be found -- even in the midst of the most severe circumstances. Foo, A Japanese-American Prisoner Of The Rising Sun is a unique contribution to the annals of World War II literature and highly recommended for academic, community, and personal library collections.

I met Foo in a restaurant in Abilene, TX, sitting in a booth next to him and two other gentlemen. His book was to be released the next day. My wife, after evedropping on their conversation, introduced her and myself. Foo sold us a copy of the book....and autographed it for us. This was several years ago. We have learned he has since died. He was very warm and personable with us. His story is facinating. (His reason for being in Abilene was that there was to be some sort of POW reunion the next day.)

I knew "Foo" (he died last year) and many of the other men (my father among them) who were taken prisoner with him. This is an excellent book about a little known page in American history. Although, in many ways, Foo's captivity was atypical of the treatment most of the "Lost Battalion" received, it is a fascinating, well written book which shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Having known Foo since High School days and later being a sister-in-law, I read the original dairy and saw the pictures he drew of the atrocities experienced there in prison. This book is an excellent account of the way it was. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a factual story of what it was like to be in a POW Camp in Japan during World War II.

I read this book in 2 days, couldn't put it down. It is well written. Cheryl Wolverton blends reality, romance, faith, and plenty of humor. For those who like romance novels but love to laugh too, this book is for you. Very interesting. A great read.

I read this book in 2 days, couldn't put it down. It is well written. Cheryl Wolverton blends reality, romance, faith, and plenty of humor. For those who like romance novels but love to laugh too, this book is for you. Very interesting. A great read.

My favorite,{so far}, of the McCade Brothers books. Julian "Hawk" McCade has a lot to learn about families. And Susan "Freckles" Learn is just the person to teach him. This book was a lot of fun to read! The "accidents" that keep happening over and over are hilarious. But once Susan learns to relax around Julian they find that God has placed them in each other's lives for a purpose. I love all three of the McCade brothers! This is truly a good, lighthearted read, but don't miss the depth that Cheryl has woven into the story.

This book was wonderfully funny and enjoyable. Freckles, the main character is a clumsy idiot around the man she loves, and both are afraid she's going to kill him! But when she forgets to be nervous around him, she's warm and caring and very lovable herself. I very much enjoyed reading this book. There were some drawbacks for me, though....I would have preferred this book to be longer and deeper. I wanted to have more description and a better feel for the setting and characters. I also would have liked the author to have explored the heroine's relationship with her family more instead of having it tossed in at the end. But, in retrospect, I don't think the author was trying to make any profound statements, but rather give the reader an enjoyable read. And she succeeded very well. I would definitely recommend this book for a quick, funny read.

This book reminded me of my family, funny, silly and makes you smile a lot. I'm a teenager and would tell all my friends to read it. Freckles makes the story one to remember.

Description from the back of the book:

Sanford Colston left his hometown of Saints Roost to hire it's school a new teacher - but instead found himself stuck at the Dallas train station, robbed of the clothes off his back! It was clear to Ford that this thief wasn't your ordinary outlaw - and he was right. Hannah was a beautiful woman on the run, desperate for a disguise that would help her escape her dangerous past. But when fate forced their paths to cross again, Ford couldn't get away twice.

Ford wanted to help his charming your bandit, but didn't know how - until she had a most exciting idea. Hannah could hide in Saints Roost! Back in the strict little town, Hannah made quite a first impression...and, with Ford at her side, learned that sometimes life offers second chances...

* Another fabulous book from my favorite author. I have yet to be disappointed with any of Jodi's books. If I had to have any complaint about this book it would be that it took too long for these two to become intimate but it was completely understandable. The storyline in this book is wonderful & it makes you keep turning the pages even when you really need some sleep. The secondary characters were a huge plus to this book & I hated to see the book end. I highly recommend this book.

I started this book last night at nine and read it all the way to the end. It was one that I just couldn't put down. Jodi has a way of building her characters to where you really know them so it seems before the "climax" comes.
I appreciate her lack of bad language, too.
Thanks, Jodi!

Ford Colston left his hometown to find a teacher. After failing to do so he is returning home when he's robbed by Hannah, a woman on the run from killers. She takes his clothes and leaves but later comes face to face with Ford again. Trying to start a new life she convinces Ford to let her pretend to be the new school teacher, however when she and Ford are caught kissing they are forced to marry. Part of the agreement between Ford and Hannah is that in one months time she will leave and Ford will tell the town that she died, therefore becoming a widower. The rest of the story covers the killers that are still hot on the trail to find her and Ford's mistrust of Hannah, since items are being stolen from the town stores.

Now normally I'm pretty picky on Jodi Thomas's female characters, since they all tend to seem whinny or afraid of relationships for no reason. In this book I feel that Thomas wrote a fairly strong heroine, who at first was afraid of intimacy, but at there is a reason for that and it is explained in the story. Hannah is able to overcome her fears and wants to be closer to Ford.

Now Ford is a sweetie. He grew up being told he was ugly and had an animal nature. He always wished for a wife but never thought he would find one that would be able to tolate him. He's honest and caring but at times did have trouble trusting Hannah but I guess that can be expected. She did rob him, remember. The part I like the most was when he kissed her hand in town. That was incredible. And when she is pulling her hand away she runs her fingertips across his palm because she couldn't bear to let go. Now that was intense.

If your lucky to find this out of print book buy it, because you won't be disappointed.

I'm not usually a romance reader--although there has to be romance in anything I read--but this book drew me in from the beginning with its atypical hero, Ford Colston. He's hardworking, honorable, and honest to a fault, and he believes no woman would ever want him because he's not handsome in the traditional sense and harbors inside him a "wild" passion that has always alienated him from his insensitive family and the puritanical town he lives in. When he meets Hannah of the orphaned gypsy spirit, she sees the goodness in Ford and is drawn to him despite her need to run from the hired killers chasing her because she witnessed a murder. She and Ford strike a deal that keeps them together for a month, and although they both want it to be forever, they both also think they're not worthy of the other's love. Hannah is a likable heroine, but Ford captured my heart from the first page. A touching, satisfying read I recommend highly.

I've read many romance novels, but this one had an appeal totally separate from the run-of-the-mill. The secret is the hero, Ford. He's face is not that handsome (although his body is rock hard!) and he's given a background that makes your heart break. He's grown up in a town where everyone thought he was ugly, his sister calls him an animal, his father didn't want him around...rejected again and again, he's resigned himself to be the lonely outcast no one loves.

But in the opening of the novel, a girl on the run robs him of his clothes, then ties him up on the bed to keep him from following her....but before she goes she kisses him. And then the human drama and romance begins.

The "suspense" of the plot (will the bad guys catch up with the heroine?) is mimimal, but I really didn't care, as the depth of emotion of the love story made this more than a worthwhile read.

From looking at other books on this area for the twenties and thirties, this rings true. And it's well done.

I loved this book. My new novel, Texas Poker Wisdom, has stories about Benny Binion on the gambling wars of Dallas and Ft. Worth. I knew Benny Binion. The world that Ms. Archer describes so very well might come as a surprise to your ordinary folks. This is one fantastic read. Everyone will enjoy it. I write about gambling and am working on an article about Benny Binion's great promotions. One promotion from this book was to have a sign on a pet burro that said follow me to this Mexican restaurant/crap game. They would let the burro loose in a different part of Ft. Worth each day. It would walk on home, a moving sign.
I promise you that you will love this book.
Johnny HughesTexas Poker Wisdom

Since some of my family members were mentioned I was disppointed the author did not double check all of her facts. Other than that it is a good book.

this is a very interesting book especially for those of us who live in fort worth texas. all kinds of neat facts about one of our most popular highways. all about the gangsters and gamblers. ann arnold did a fantastic job on writing it.

Dr Arnold does an excellent job of taking hold of a sizable hunk of Fort Worth history and recording it in a very readable fashion. A number of pictures are also included to help visualize the antics of early Fort Worth residents (and visitors).

At least this guy's an original. This is my first trip in Kinkyland and I was repaid by getting a few laughs. I especially liked his frank no- nonsense tone in telling us for instance, that he goes around giving advice to people happier than himself.
He is deeply at home in the world of Austin and gives the reader a lot of local color, and a lot of advice as to where and what to visit and see.
On the Jewish side it seems to me that that part of his identity is a lot like the Jewish star on Max Baer's trunks, more for crowd power effect than anything else.
But who knows? This guy may be a genuine Longhorn Yid.
However the Kink should be aware that his love of the four- letter word will not give him an A in the big cheder upstairs which I suspect he is more likely to get to than to what he says he wishes to in this book, the Governor's Chair in Austin.

The Kinkster (Texas' next governor?) takes readers on a whirlwind tour of Austin. Anyone who has lived in Austin for a significant period of time will not find much new here. Those who have only visited might get some inkling of what makes this city unique and why millions of people all over the country consider Austin home even though the population is 600,000. This is an extremely funny journey. I can't think of a better tour guide than a man who refers to Garth Brooks as the anti-Hank

there are a few versions of this book. Don't get one that isn't read by the author. Otherwise, it isn't remotely funny!

Kinky for Governor!

Ok, so this review will be online forever and 50 years from now lots of people will probably be saying "Who the hell is Kinky Friedman?" (People in Buffalo probably already are saying it, but that's another story.)

If you want to get a quick look at who Kinky is, you can't go wrong with this slim volume. Its essentially a travelogue for the city of Austin, Texas, but the Kinkster's wit shines through. Kinky covers a lot of ground in short order to tell you where the best sites in Austin are: for music and nightlife (like The Broken Spoke), for food (like Threadgill's), for sightseeing (like Willie Nelson's house, where else?).

Along the way, we get bits and pieces of Texas and specifically Austin history. Whether you are new to Texas or have been, as I have, a lifelong resident, you're sure to find something you didn't already know. If you get through this and are dying to read more, the next step of course, is to get cracking at his mysteries (i.e. Greenwich Killing Time). In the mean time, sit back and enjoy. The Kinkster is at the wheel, and the cigar smoke is filling up the car. I can't see where we are going, but the trip is sure to be fun.

Any traveller worth their salt knows what a big mistake just showing up at a foriegn city empty minded can be; we also know an even bigger mistake exists: showing up with a mass-produced, banal "city guide." Of course, if you have never awoken on an airplane with a throbbing hangover and without any idea what you are doing there, or where 'there' is, maybe this book isn't for you. I once woke up in Toronto, the city hosting the International Conference for Progressive Psychology (ICPP) in 1968 -- before Dr. Shoozenschaurts' breakthrough work on depression was publicized. Sure his work was edgy, and progressive, but I knew it was dangerous. I tried to warn my colleagues of the inherint dangers in thinking such thoughts, after all, what we don't know can't hurt us. My fellow scientists ignored my warnings and embraced Dr. Shoozenschaurts' revolutionary concepts. After the conference of '68 I found myself and my ignorance is bliss theories discredited. Now I live on a couch. You live in a nation of depressed sociopaths. You could say I'm having the last laugh, but I'm not; because I live on a couch, and I am too depressed for laughter.

"With her countless clubs, bars, and dance halls, Austin is a whore with a heart of gold flaunting her gaudy necklace in the Texas night."

Naturally I am unemployed. This is important because this book along with the other Crown Journey books are, I believe, written for the unemployed. These books are written for the traveler with True Grit, whose idea of vacation is drinking coffee in a foriegn city and reading about one human's experience of a city that stands out from the pack; The kind of person that no longer finds excitement in visiting New York, London, Paris, or Los Angeles. The Crown Journey series captures real, unique culture in the most pleasantly unexpected places (Like Austin, Nantucket, Portland) and then combines it with real, unique personality in equally pleasant form (Kinkster, Pahlaniuk).

This book will make you laugh. This book will give you good ideas on where to go, and what to do in Austin. Perhaps most importantly, this book will give you the background perspective you need to enjoy your Austin vacation to the MAX~!

One of the major materpieces of American historical writing. The two volumes are a continuing delight, far better than any historical novel. Scene succeds scene, filled with movement, passion and unbelievable heroism. Won the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes for History, and is considered the greatest history of the Rio Grande from pre-Columbian time to mid 20th century.

To read a book numbering 945 pages of fine print is a luxury these days. It took me such a long time to read the Fourth Edition of Paul Horgan's wonderful, Pulitzer-Prize-winning "Great River: The Rio Grande In North American History" that sometimes I felt as if I were experiencing 10,000 years worth of history in real time. At the tail end of the epic, when President Wilson hesitates to send troops across the river to pursue bandits, citing his personal shame regarding the United States' "invasion" of Mexico during the Nineteenth Century, I felt able to "remember how it actually happened" - how U.S. fear concerning France's courtship of then independent Texas coupled with its distaste for Mexico's ethical transgressions (e.g., mistreatment of Texan prisoners of war) made U.S. annexation of Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico seem almost righteous.

The Preface to the Fourth Edition is dated 1984. But the book, initially authored in the Forties, reflects the philosophies of its times. Written well before the feminist era, the book, whether dealing with Pueblo peoples, Spanish Conquistadors, Mexican revolutionaries, or American generals, mostly follows the pursuits of men and ignores women. In Pueblo times, one glimpses Pueblo women washing garments in the river. Centuries later, several pages focus on Maud Wright, an American frontierswomen who must have been ferociously brave to have endured unspeakable horrors at the hands of bandits yet survived to provide U.S. troops with knowledge that was "valuable to know." And yet, passive adjectives describe her - "helpless" or "thankful to be busy" - before the narrative again turns its attention to colorful male warriors, raiders, politicians, navigators, or thieves.

Similarly, the book displays a Forties-style awe of "machine technics." Technology, it explains, had a positive effect on river cultures, liquidating "all indigenous aspects of the river's three [Indian, Spanish, Mexican] societies." Half-a-century later, it seems a day doesn't pass when "you Rio" isn't in the news, whether sporting a new, angry-looking border fence (to hold back hordes, who wish to ford the river and flee a still troubled Mexico) or failing to reach the Gulf thanks to global warming. Alas, technology, as Henry Adams feared, is proving to be the river's enemy.

One can't reverse the course of a river, but one can reverse the course of policies made in the heat of whatever political moment. This book should be required reading on both sides of the border.

The level of detail amassed by Horgan for this book is nothing short of incredible. Roughly half the book is dedicated to historical events; the other half covers culture, the role of religion, native living conditions, and a hundred other nuances of day-to-day living by peoples (both native and the later Spanish/American cultures) along the Rio Grande.

Readers who want a VERY in-depth history of the Rio Grande can't do any better than this book. However, readers looking for a more general overview of events might want to consider other sources.

I probably fell into the latter category; I found myself skipping 2-5 pages at a time because I just wasn't that interested in knowing every single detail of (for example) how the Indians dressed and meticulously prepared bits of food for a ceremony to welcome the growing season. Or details covering 5 pages of how Spanish missionaries held a typical mass in the settlements in 1650.

That said, I recognize that this book is about as complete a works as could be published. I'd much rather skip over detail than have an account which isn't thorough.

This book is the best ever written on the history of the southwest along the Rio Grande. Horgan manages to capture the shared history of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico as no other historian/writer has ever done. This one will be around as long as readers want to understand history in the borderlands.

This two-volume series was my inroduction to Paul Horgan who became one of my favorite authors. It is interesting to note he and Frank Waters ('the Man who Killed the Deer') died recently just two weeks apart. They were both 92, and among the greatest authors who dealt with the Rio Grande. Mr. Hogan's dedication to detail set him apart from Willa Cather whose fame rests upon her book 'Death comes to the Archbishop,' using Lamy as her subject. She rejected the aproach of Paul Horgan who at the time was writing his own history, 'Lamy of Santa Fe.' Willa Cather was a novelist; Paul Horgan an historian, and of the two I prefer the truth. Anyone interested in the history of the Rio Grande will be delighted with Paul Horgan's two-volume introduction to it.

This past week when I was considering ordering another book by George Arnold
I decided to re-read his Growing Up Simple and am still laughing.Although I grew up in Houston in an earlier generation, Mr.Arnold has really keyed in on many of the things that differentiate a Texas childhood and beyond from other areas where I have lived and done it in such a brilliant manner one does not have to be a Texan to enjoy his sometimes wild humor.
As I stated previously I am still laughing from my second reading.

I enjoyed this book more than I can say. I laughed my way through every chapter and memories of my own adventures came flooding into my head. I felt like I was sitting in the same room with the author, listening to him tell these great stories of growing up in the hill country of Texas. I hope he writes another book and shares the stories he thought he shouldn't tell. This is a great read for everyone, especially if you grew up in the 1950's

Every story in this book contains hallowed and hilarious moments. "Growing Up Simple..." takes you back, even if you've never been there. Case in point: while riding in the car with two friends (one 53 and one 13), I read aloud from George Arnold's book. We all laughed out loud, and often. But at the end of each chapter, it was the 13-year-old who chanted "read another one!!" That should tell you something of the timelessness of these charmingly told tales.

For anyone between 12 and 102, but especially for those over 40, this book is hilarious. The comment on the book cover from the author's mother says it all: "Itis my fervent prayer that Billy Graham never reads this book!"

Check it out.

This has to be one of more entertaining books I have read lately, and I happen to be an "in betweener".Talk about deja vu,when George was relating his experiences in San Antonio, I could have just inserted my self right then and there and gone back to 1955 and I was a 10yr.old kid riding my bicycle through the streets of ole San Antonio.There was the Aztec and Majestic Theaters,Breckinridge Park, the same places I would haunt as I'm sure did thousands of other 10 year olds did with the same amazement that obviously George Arnold and myself experienced.As I read the tale about Mr.Lippy and the Red Coats, that's when our bed began to shake from my laughter and I was then invited to finish "that damn book downstairs".Well now it's my turn to tell my wife "Honey I have already read this book and you don't have to tell me about it OK"!
My real hope is that this will be picked up by Hollywood and made into a film,much in the style of Steel Magnolias or The Ya Ya Sisterhood.After all that has gone on these last two years of tragedy I'm ready for a "heartwarm bellylaugh".
Good work George from one "in betweener to another".

Warmest regards,
Pat Heffernan

Russell S. Smith was the Police Chief in San Angelo, Texas for years. He was an outstanding officer. There were many twists and turns in this book, it kept my interest and eyes on the printed page. He is a true detective, enjoying the chase as he traced the facts in order to find the truth.

What a great book! Author, retired Texas Police Chief Russell Smith, has a unique way of talking to the reader. This is an interesting account of the "Caveman Bandit" - in a time much like the Wild West but in the 1960's. Most certainly all those who have roots in West TX would be interested as well as Texans everywhere. As a Californian, who has never been to that part of the country, I referred to a TX map to visualize the expanse of land that the Bandit inhabited. Wow - it is really incredible to think that a human was capable of covering such an enormous territory. Also incredible is the way this man slinked in and out of businesses, houses, rugged terrain, in and out of Mexico and Texas -without detection - sometimes underneathe the noses of those who so desperately hunted him. Yes, the bandit was incredibly animal-like: digging for shelter in caves, surviving off the land, outwitting and outrunning his prey. You will have to read this book for the interesting details and to see how the story ends. Bravo Chief Smith!

Russell Smith has a way of telling a story so that you see every event, almost as if you were there when it happened. You see the rugged country and the people very vividly in your mind. You feel the suspense as the caveman bandit enters a home at night while the occupants are sleeping. You laugh as two macho teenage boys decide they will be heroes and catch the bandit one dark, cold night. I got so involved in the story, I didn't want it to end.

What a great book. I could visualize the caveman bandit, his hiding spots, the rough land, the houses and the people. Russell Smith brings the characters and the landscape to life. Chapter 1 was a great way to start the book and it hooked me. I can't wait to read his next book.

"The Gun That Wasn't There" is an interesting true story about a man who lived off the land, the ranches, and the businesses of the area he was in. The local people knew about him, had often seen him, but it wasn't unusual for "illegals" to cross their ranches so they didn't pay much attention to him until he broke into a house while the people were home and attacked them. This is a story about man against man, one wanting to be left alone to survive the way he knew best, and those who wanted to stop him.

The book includes several original photographs as well as recent photos of the area. The author paints such a vivid description of the area that you already know what is there without seeing the photographs. There are numerous endnotes that historians and genealogists will love.