The older generation of Chicano writers have mostly written about California, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. However, a little-known area of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, has been virtually ignored. David Rice helps to fill this void. In his collection of short stories, Give the Pig a Chance & Other Stories, Rice breaks "el Valle" wide open. Like the Valley he writes about, these stories have such a wonderful variety. In "Lucía's Last Curse," my favorite of them all, the reformed bruja, witch-woman, Lucía tries to atone for her past of curses and evil by healing a young man from some mysterious ailment. The outcome is a complete surprise. While the magical realism in this story is reminiscent of the fiction of Gabriel García Márquez or Kathleen Alcalá, the setting of the Valley makes it wholly unique. Another story, "In the Canal," reads like Rodriguez's independent film, El Mariachi, not to be confused with Desperado, the outrageous follow-up starring Antonio Banderas. Both Rodriguez's film and Rice's story capture the border violence and senseless death that Mexican-Americans living along the border are so familiar with. However, Rice improves upon the theme by making his "drogistas," drug-dealers very human, and uncomfortably familiar. Like Raymond Carver or Dagoberto Gilb, this author's greatest strength is his ability to capture the profound in the mundane. In the ambiguously titled "Give the Pig a Chance," a character named Carlos accidentally runs over his cousin's pet pot-bellied pig. Carlos's effort to win his cousin's forgiveness takes on a deeper meaning as he pleads, "Just give me a chance." Thankfully, Bilingual Press gave this young Tejano writer a chance. This is the first book in what will be a long and brilliant literary career. I am glad I saw it happen, and eagerly await his next book.

If you want to get a real taste of the Rio Grande Valley, you must read this book. It would fit just as well in the cultural anthropology section of a bookstore. I, too, lived in the Valley (La Blanca, Texas to be exact - just 2 miles from Edcouch.) and I can relate to everything Mr. Rice writes. He captures the culturally laden thinking processes that we all learned so well early in our lives. He effectively exposes the innocent, yet seemingly bizarre world that many of us felt shame over or simply chose to push out of our identity. Rice courageously relives these experiences. Quite an achievement. His work will undoubtedly inspire more writings from the imaginative minds coming out of "el valle" and begin to uncover the untapped treasure that is the Rio Grande Valley. Much credit goes to the author for giving the reader a unique and rare glimpse into a place and culture that is much written about by non-Valleyites and often misrepresented or misunderstood. I could not help but think of Steinbeck's work as I read through this book. Rice has an exceptional ability to draw the reader into his world.

I read some of his work for my English 4 CP class, I enjoyed it. It depicted Valley life - its beauty and innocence. I liked this book alot because it described the home I have lived in for about 6 years. I also met this author after reading this book, he showed an eccentric side to him. a very open and intelligence person. I give this book 5 stars mainly because it is the only book that I've read that truly shows the Valley and all its splendors. From Sapos to Tortillas.

Vesely's sweeping novel is epic stuff. As much flavor as one can get without time travel! Part of a cycle of books, this is a great point of entry for any Lonesome Dove fan whose taste for something big has been left unfulfilled for too long.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Seasons of Harvest. The characters, from primitive man onward, captured my interest and concern. I found the story of generation after generation of primitive Indians to be interesting from a cultural and historical point of view, as well as an engaging character study. I could not wait to read the remaining 2 books in the sequel when I finished "Seasons".

I often sit on my portal looking at the mountains, and I think of the generations of people who have passed through this river valley, and of the people who built this village. Now I feel that I know them - whereas before I only felt them. Thank you for a book I'll cherish.

If you own one book on the RGS, this has to be it.

Wonderful pictures and data! Simply the best RGS book

Silver San Juan is simply the best single book on the Rio Grande Southern that you can get!

Silver San Juan tells a fairly complete story of this narrow gauge railroad; how and why it was built, the life and times of the line, and its' eventual demise. It covers the line from North to South and touches on all the branches in between.

Plus, it includes detailed rosters and photos of the locomotives and rolling stock of this little railroad that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

The colorful life of the "Southern" could fill thousands of pages. But, if you had to tell the story in a single volume, you couldn't do it better than this book does.

All in all, this is the single most important book in any Rio Grande Southern fan's library.

This book, along with Smither's CHRONICLES OF THE BIG BEND, are MUST READS for the serious Chisos Mountains area hiker. Along with the historical/geological/botanical/zoological everything elseical information, Maxwell includes a packet of foldout maps. The maps alone are worth the price of the book. Don't worry about the publication dates of the above books, nature works on a time-scale that makes these books timeless to the human reader. Most of the more recent publications can't come close to adding anything new to this information.

This book does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the Big Bend region. Even those who have experienced the beauty of the region and its people will find this book a handy reference. The author is a former superintendent of Big Bend National Park. As described in the title, the book covers the geology of Big Bend (including an excellent introduction to geological processes for the uninitiated like myself), the history of Big Bend (including the histories of place names and other local legends), and an overview of local vegetation and the native uses of the vegetation by the old curanderos. Included throughout the book are 117 illustrations and black and white photographs. Many of the photographs offer a unique glimpse into the lives of those who settled this rugged country. Also included with the book are five separately printed illustrations, including a 360-degree panorama of The Basin (obviously from days long ago - notice the lack of trees!), and several geological maps. This is definitely the favorite book in my Big Bend library!

Holt's book is very helpful for birding Texas, especially when used in conjunction with other books. Unfortunately, lodging is only briefly mentioned, so you must use other resources to plan your trip. The maps are excellent and there is a checklist in the back with bird species, locations, abundance, and months present. There is also a listing of species with details on specialties (e.g. Elegant trogon- A rare visitor, with three records at Big Bend and a smattering of records for the Lower Valley. The most recent sighting was in late January 1990.) This book covers the RGV from Brownsville to El Paso, including the Guadalupe Mountains, Davis Mountains, and Edwards Plateau. The format is different from some other ABA books, for instance there is not a separate column listing expected sightings for each area.

I am looking for a place to buy the new publication. The new author might be Mark Lockwood. Publisher is same - American Birding Association

Most people, even serious Civil War historians often overlook the fact that the Confederate Armies captured Santa Fe! Or that entire battles were fought that far west! "Bloddy Valverde" is an amazingly detailed account of my favorite battle. This, the biggest battle of the campaign is won of the most interesting of the war! from Graysons comical attempt to used mules as a primitive guided smart bomb to the amount of federal regulars involved, the types of ordnance, a lance charge defeated by a Napoleonic square till the turning point...a dismounted shotgun charge against the federal batteries! This is the single most detailed book of thie battle, breaking down the events to almost every 30 minutes. The research and depth is amazing...many myths and misconceptions of this battle are cleared up. Just when you think you know everything about the American Civil War this comes along!

As a Civil buff you always want to explore parts of this conflict which are not so well known yet. In this book John Taylor describes this "small" battle as vivid as it surely was. This book is and certainly will remain the ultimate study of the battle of Valverde. Very good 3D-maps which really help you to get into the whole dynamics of this conflict. Read it and learn more about the Transmississippi !

In response to the previous review:

This book was originally written in Dutch and first published in Amsterdam in 1678 - most texts refer to him as a French surgeon, as he originally came in contact with the buccaneers as a result of his 1666 journey to tortuga with the French West India Company. His name is spelled Alexander Exquemelin....

The events of the book cross reference fairly well with Spanish historical documents - most errors are in place names and dates, according to David Cordingly (british historian, and expert on all things pirate).

No one knows for sure the spelling of the man's name of his nationality, but in 1684 Alexander Esquemeling published in London a powerful, some say mendacious, personal reminiscence of Henry Morgan and other pirates. Histerical at times, this work brilliantly recreates Morgan's most memorable, indeed incredible adventures. A must read for anyone wishing to capture an authentic view of the Carribean during the period of pirates and the battles of Spanish main.

"These stories are at once bittersweet, tender, and funny without ridiculing. We recognize ourselves or know someone in those shoes and they touch our hearts. We root for or pray along with them as they try to unravel the puzzle of their lives. Romo skillfully maintains and heightens the momentum and allure of the story with folkloric intrigue: how and why has the Rio Grande turned red?" -- Liz Raptis Picco, for El Andar.

"Romo has a pleasing, unpretentious writing style, and he sometimes exhibits a real eye and ear for the ordinary moments that give life meaning. Throughout EL PUENTE, I was frequently reminded of John Steinbeck. Romo isn't as obsessed with social and economic justice, but he has a similar knack for describing the lives of plain, simple folk on the street.... EL PUENTE shows a lot of promise."--Steven Robert Allen

Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones produce the best lighthouse travel guides available. This one is no exception.

First, this book is chocked full of Bruce Roberts' beautiful photographs of the lighthouses in this region. The photographs are nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Combined with the revised and updated information on each makes this regional lighthouse guide a requirement you won't want to be without whether you're visiting the region or a life-long resident. The text contains full, rich descriptions of each lighthouse, too.

I have many lighthouse books and all of Bruce Roberts' and Ray Jones' regional guides. I've read them all and used most of them while traveling. I've found them to be first rate, an excellent choice for people who want everything lighthouse between two covers. A joy to look at and informative to read.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have. Since there are so many books in this series I thought I'd help people find them easier. This is the series.
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American Lighthouses
California Lighthouses
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Southeastern Lighthouses - I own this one
Southern Lighthouses
New England Lighthouses
Mid Atlantic Lighthouses
Gulf Coast Lighthouses

...Rio Grande Wedding"... is a lovely romance. Molly a widow and a nurse by profession wakes one morning to find an unconscious and injured man on her property. She takes one look at his dark features and realizes that he must be an immigrant farm worker (in the country illegally) who was likely injured during a raid the previous night. She is contemplating calling the deputy when he lets out a heartrending cry for his lost "Josefina". Molly decides to use her nursing skills to heal his wounds rather than turning him in.

As Molly heals Alejandro and searches for Josefina, who is his eight year old niece, a tender and sensual romance blossoms between them. "A Rio Grande Marriage" is a little category romance that is jam-packed with more emotion and sensuality than can often be found in a 350+ novel. Although there is a secondary issue that is handled a bit too easily for comfort I'm betting you'll love this one if you enjoy a character driven romance about lonely, vulnerable people.

Alejandro Sosa is in the US for a noble, plausible reason, and my heart went out to him. The author has taken a hero who could have been portrayed as a stereotype and made him a hot, lovable character. The heroine's brother supplied another source of conflict I'd not seen done before--sad, but very realistic.The slow-building sexual tension kept me turning the pages! Great story!

If you love the best of contemporary romance don't miss this book. The writing is superb, the characters real, and the situation gripping. The ending is the type of glow that every reader wants.