I live in Texas, and I have so for all of my life, but it is sure is surprising to find out how big Texas exactly is. In this book you get, in detail, a listing of state and national parks and forest for the 4 regions of Texas. Being that Texas is so big, each region tends to have all different types of camp sights compared to some of the other regions. The nice thing about this book is it gives you information about OTHER parts of Texas, perhaps that you haven't visited yet. I love to camp but tend to stick to those areas near me, or that I visited as a child. This book should give you enough information to maybe visiting some new sights.

I operate a year round therapeutic camp for teen boys. The camp goes on many trips, from day trips to extended trips. This book by Mickey Little is an invaluable resource in planning the trips for my staff and 30 boys. Lots of maps, descriptions on campsites and group sites, and of course, activities for the kids once we get there. I would'nt plan a trip without Mickey.

Although it includes many commercial campgrounds also, this book is superb for selecting, contacting, and describing the many state parks in Texas...we have found no better!!

Cantu addresses the harsh realities of racism, poverty and Viet Nam without bashing you over the head with strident platitudes. The framework structure coupled with family album snaphots make the book fascinating and truly accessible for a variety of readers. One need not have grown up in los dos Laredos or along the U.S.--Mexican border to identify with this work; one need only be aware of the variety of borders constructed or imposed upon our lives.

This is a beautifully written memoir by one of our best Chicana writers. Seizing upon Roland Barthes's writings on photography, Cantu reconstructs her childhood on the U.S./Mexican border, teaching us that the border itself is an artificial barrier. This is a moving story of an American family that has worked hard and sacrificed much. We can only hope that the rest of America will recognize sooner than later the enormous contributions to U.S. history made by Mexican Americans.

THIS IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF ETHONOGRAPHY. SHE TOUCHES THE HEART AND EXPANDS THE SOUL. THE SECTION CALLED TITO, BRINGS THE PAIN HOME. A FANTASTIC DEMONSTRATION OF LIFE AND HISTORY ON THE FRONTERA

What a tragic loss to all Texans (and those who want to be) that Dian Malouf's book "Cattle Kings" is out of print. It's witty, historically correct and an obvious work from the heart. Please reprint this classic cowboy delight!

This is a must have book for any person who is interested in Texana. It is very represetative of most of the regions of the State, including South, Central and Coastal Texas. Please note: Do not buy this book if you only want to read about the King Ranch.

This book provides a personal and engaging look into the lives of some of the wealthiest and most private ranches in Texas. Anyone who has an interest in the Mystique that IS Texas will love this book. This book provides a look at the "real world" of Texas ranch life--it is a history of a fading tradition of true ranching that has made Texas what it is today.

The characters experienced the full range of emotions. I felt like I was right along with them for the adventures. Such strong characters, determination. Very inspiring!

I truly enjoyed every word of this book. I was hooked after the first page and wasn't willing to stop reading! Shyanne has such strength and courage. Watching her grow and deal with her problems touched me.

I liked the part in the schoolhouse when Josh Paul,Shiloh,and Shenandoah were trapped with Miss Gibson in the schoolhouse, because that part has a lot of tragedy to it and a way to survive if you're ever stuck in a schoolhouse when there is a blizzard. The rest of the book is just great so I think Ms.Freeman should get something special.

An excellant work for any of those who may have descendents from early Collin County,Texas. Minnie Champ deserves great recognition for spending countless hours to insure that our ancestors and their stories are not forgotten.

Ms Champ did a great job on this book. The blurb states that she is collecting items for Vol II. This is wrong. Volume II has been released and she is collecting for Vol III. Please contact her for more information.

As author/publisher of this book done in memory of my mother, Alice Ellison Pitts, who started the book, I'd like you to know its contents. The family stories written by descendants of Collin County early settlers are personal, varied and contain an abundance of Collin County history. The book, 9"x12," contains 548 different family stories in alpha order, has full surname index, and also has over 350 family photographs.

Volume II of this work is under production and a call for materials is out. You are invited to submit your Collin Co. related stories.

Other books available for purchase on Collin County. Email for info

I purchased this book not knowing whether I would like it, but I loved it. It is a fascinating collection of stories from people who participated in WWII in numerous diverse ways. Recounted here are the experiences of bomber pilots, men on submarines, infantry soldiers from the wars in the Pacific and in Europe, POW's, and countless others. The author steps aside and lets the soldiers tell the stories in their own words, yet the narrative is consistently compelling. You get a realistic view of what WWII was like from the perspective of people who were there. I highly recommend this book.

``The Courage of Common Men: Texans Remember World War II'' is a must-read for Texans and World War II history buffs.

The book contains stories from 19 veterans across Texas and is thoroughly engaging. It's an extremely quick read. The stories are tragic and at times humorous. It's told in an interview-style, so you feel the emotions that the veterans are experiencing as they relive their personal accounts. One of my favorite chapters is of the Gibesons, a couple from San Antonio, who met during the War and are still married today. What a love story!

The names you'll find in ``The Courage of Common Men'' aren't those that you have read about in history books. They are your neighbors and family friends. Ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times. After reading ``The Courage of Common Men,'' you'll gain a greater appreciation for the sacrifices these brave men made.

I have read this book and the author, Stephen Manning, has done a great job of telling stories from men, who are still living, about their experiences while serving their county during World War II.

Mr. Manning has interviewed about 20 veterans from all branches of the service. He tell thier story just like they tell it to him useing their own words. You feel like you have talked to the men youself.

The author has incorperated pictrues of the men interviewd taken while he was in the service and a picture of them as of today.

If you are interested in World War II this is a must read book.

Sincerely, Charles B. Harper

I just recently finished reading both of Rice's books: Give The Pig A Chance, and Crazy Loco.
I have comments on several of his short stories, but overall, I'd like to say that his writing is very inspiring to me - I didn't expect for stories this short to be full with such great symbolism.
In his short story, Papa Lalo, Henry was given a compass from his grandfather, as a gift.
A compass always faces North. The Earth has it's own magnetic polarity that magnifies the pull of a compass to face due North. The compass could have symbolized the unbearable "magnetic pull": that Harry had with his grandfather. Even though Harry didn't realize he shared any common ground, or any connection with his grandfather - He always had that "magnetic pull" a "bond" that we sometimes are unfamiliar with until we try to face another direction in life - or until life points us in a new direction.

This was a very well written, carefully thought out story.

David Rice's second book Crazy Loco is a collection of short stories that kicks off the new wave of young adult Chicano literature. As an English teacher I've sought quality Chicano literature for my kids and aside from Gary Soto, there isn't much out there. I'm glad to see that's changing. Rice's stories are hilarious and even though they're set in South Texas with mostly Chicano characters, they will appeal to all kids. I shared stories from his previous book, Give the Pig a Chance, with my students and they loved them. Since his style has improved and these stories are funnier, I know my students will love Crazy Loco even more. My favorites of the bunch were "Crazy Loco" and "Proud to be an American." They are about two things most kids are experts about: dogs and fireworks. Other stories are heartfelt. "Papa Lalo" will strike a chord with children who have lived through divorce or have lost their grandparents. "Valentine" is about the pain and power of first love. David Rice writes the Rio Grande Valley of Texas like few other authors can. He is a great new voice in Chicano fiction and one to watch in the future.

I've heard David Rice read a few of the stories in this collection back in South Texas at different venues and was amazed at how much his writing had matured since his first book (Give the Pig a Chance--another fine book in its own right). A side note to anyone with an opportunity to experience Rice's presentations--take the chance, go out of your way if you have to, but do listen to him. Back to the book: I was so looking forward to Crazy Loco, and when I got my copy, I got right to it. Dropped Moby Dick, and slowed down on To the Lighthouse to finish Crazy Loco. The stories, most of which are told in the first person, the narrators varying from story to story, are humorous and fun to read. But I feel the strongest pieces are the ones in which Rice cuts out the humor, and gets down to some serious business, like in "Last Mass" and "Her Other Son." These stories are emotional without being sentimental. These stories bring to mind others of his works, namely "Tina La Tinaca" from his first collection, and they show exactly why Rice is being published today.

If you appreciated Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt for its presentation and viewpoint of growing up in poverty, you'll like this book for the same reasons--not on the subject of poverty but on race and understanding what it's like to grow up Black (& middle-class) in this country. It just tells, in a straightforward voice, the story of her life.

As a 10 year old, my mother had me read a book called "Black Like Me." It was a white man's experiment with wandering around in the world as a Black man. Carroll Parrott Blue's book is a better, more authentic version written by a Black woman who has lived the experience and is willing to talk about it.

I loved this book because from the first pages, with its pictures and its text, it lets the reader inside like an intimate friend--she shares what most Black people don't talk about. She lets you inside her experience. It's personal, yet it's nonfiction that reads like a novel. She shares her difficult personal relationship with her mother and her view of the world through popular culture that is familiar to all of us--but seen through Black eyes.

I really enjoyed this book. The author wove together her personal experiences --the pain of growing up in a loveless yet nuturing home in Texas, and a type of everyman's history of the civil rights movement and the annonomous worker bees and vanguard her mother belonged too. She does this in an interesting and engaging way. She weaves her story of being born at the "wrong time" and coping with feelings of being an unwanted late life child which lead to an emotionally and physically abused childhood into the visual story and history of Blacks in media and film at the time Blacks created the protest movement(s) to erase injustice, and pyschological pain the african Americans experienced in America's south. Her story is a compelling one. Especially because it is so universally human. Her love hate relationship with her mother was the most poinant aspect of this book. She describes her response to the abuse of her mother yet she so admired, love, and comes to understand and forgive her finally.

There were some unanswered questions the reader might have , like what about her brother. What kind of relationship did they have? Was he too mistreated by her mother? Is she still married and what role did being married have on her relationship with her mother? but this is a story about a tragic and troubled and mother and daughter relationship.

IT IS A VERY INTERESTING READ for anyone interested in autobiography/civil rights movement and the media.

This is one of the most creative approaches to autobiography I've read in a long time. I enjoyed reading and studying it. The book is a highly visual autobiography---part prose, part poetry, part history and historical images. I particularly enjoyed how Ms. Blue revealed the nuances of an African American middle class mother-daughter relationship. Telling her story against the backdrop of the movies that were coming of age when she was growing up provided an enlightening perspective on the powerful influence of American movies on the human psyche. This book is a wonderful gem!

..."You've done it again! Another winner with "Death and Texas". It was a late night until I finished but you kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoy your books. Keep it up!"

Dear Mr. Joria,

"You've done it again! Another winner with "Death and Texas". It was a late night until I finished but you kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoy your books. Keep it up!"

After reading Joseph's first book I was waiting in anticipation for the next book in the series and I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed reading this book. The story keeps you guessing right to the end of the book as to who committed the crimes.
I'm now looking forward to the next book - so come on Joe get writing.

In DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS, Miranda is the pampered rich man's daughter, and Jacob is a fugitive wanted for the murders of his wife and son five years ago. In the beginning, we find Miranda in a dark and dreary room, and Miranda knowing that she was going to die. The "hermit" aka Jacob, but we don't know that yet, finds her and sets her free. Spikes, the man who kidnapped her and works as her father's foreman, is determined to find her. The hermit hides her, then, after she begs him,tells her that he'll take her within a mile of the ranch so that Spikes can't find her. On their first night, Spikes "finds" them, and lets it slip that someone in her family did this to her. On the two day trek to her home, she and Jacob grow closer. He tells her about how his wife and son were killed, which was absolutely heartbreaking, and that he's wanted for their murders. Miranda tells him right away she can't believe that. When they get to the ranch, she rides off, with Jacob watching. When she hears gunfire, she rides back and is shot. I'm not going to spoil the story more than I already have, except to tell you that the secrets that come out of the Maddox family (Miranda's) when they try to find out who kidnapped Miranda were prety amusing. I thought Ms. Warren wrote a very romantic love story and a very suspensful mystery.
Is probably the best book I've ever read. I can't wait to read Lucas' story!

Miranda is the pampered and protected daughter of a millionaire rancher. Then she gets kidnapped and hidden in the woods, deep in the Texas Hill Country.
Her [and your] first introduction to Jacob Culver, a fugitive who is living in the Hill Country, for the past five years is a bit spooky. Jacob was framed for the murder of his wife and young son.
Jacob's finding and protecting of Miranda really changes his life. He is aided and abetted by a little dog called "Bandit" ---
You will love this one and won't be able to put it down. --- I do believe it should be rated a keeper. Highly recommended. But then I love those Texans.

I loved reading this book. The suspense and mystery mixed with the romance was a great combination. It is always amazing to see how somenone who grows up in the lap of luxury can take to a normal lifestyle.