This is the definitive biography of an astonishing Mexican-American. 4 time LULAC president Felix Tijerina was born in Mexico, and came to Houston speaking no English. After he built a Tex-Mex restaurant empire, he turned his attention to the plight of his fellow Mexican-Americans. Spanish-speaking kids failed out of school in huge numbers at the time. Tijerina thought if they had a few words of English, they might do better. So he spent his own money to hire tutors to teach kids 400 words of English before they entered kindergarten. LBJ adopted his "little schools of 400" and made them the model for the Headstart Program--one of the most successful Federal programs in history.
Kreneck's dedication to an accurate telling of Mexican-American history has been an inspiration to me.

This book is a goldmine of wonderful, not-too-difficult recipes that make the home cooking I loved and remembered best when I was growing up. When I asked my Texan grandmother to write down my favorite recipes from her collection, she just smiled and told me that Michael Grant's cookbook is all I need. That is a true compliment from a fantastic cook. This is true Texas cooking at its very best! And by the way, Mr. Grant, your wonderful daily columns are very much missed in San Diego! :)

Editor James C. Bradford does the academic and professional military establishments a great service with the publication of this interesting and insightful collection of historical analysis of military establishments caught or placed between competing cultures. This is a work of serious academic style military history, there is very little of the popular 'guns and trumpets' material in the work. It will appeal primarily to those that seek to understand broader questions of military history, not the specifics of particular events.
The central idea binding the work together, albeit loosely at times, is that throughout history it has been soldiers, or warriors, operating on the respective boundaries of their cultures that have increased or decreased the friction between the cultures. Along the same lines, it is soldiers that sometimes are the primary determinants of how much of that friction is translated into violence. In the post-superpower world of the 1990s this is an interesting framework to hang a series of essays on military history upon. It almost guarantees the utility, intended or not, of the book for the professional soldier or defense interested civilian.
Bradford brings together nine historians for this book. Each is a specialist in their respective sub-fields of military history. The book is divided chronologically into 'The Premodern era,' and 'Western Forces and Indigenous Peoples,' and finally 'Twentieth Century Cultural Perceptions.' It is also initially divided along a thematic line, primarily focused upon the idea that if early military forces were in fact polyglot in content, then how could that military maintain any sort of unique cultural character? The essays in the first part, written by Dr. John Guilmartin of Ohio State and Dr. Dennis Showalter of Colorado College, explain how even in pre-modern military forces, the specialization of specific types of troops led to de facto segregation by function if not by organization. The second part of the book stays in the Western Hemisphere. American Western historian Robert M. Utley leads off by examining the nature of the conflict between American Indians and the U.S. Government. John W. Bailey deals with the schism between the intent of the American 'civilizing' mission in the West, and the reality of some very uncivilized methods by looking at the different styles of the general officers at work on the Great Plains in the late 19th Century. Finally, in studying South America historian Richard W. Slatta finds that in Argentina there was a dual struggle going on. One was the cultural elite trying to gain control of their own populace, and the was second that larger group of Hispanics seeking to marginalize and eventually exterminate their own Native Americans. In the third section of the book Douglas Porch recounts the methods of the French used in northwest Africa while Carol Petillo looks at the effects of 50 years of Philippine involvement and its' effects upon the professional U.S. military. The closing essay by Robin Higham deals with the topic of intercultural command.
We need look no further than the Balkans, or Somalia, or Chechnya to validate the importance of this book. We are without any doubt, entering a new era where limited war is not only the most probable, but where it is increasing likely to occur between groups with unique cultures. At a minimum, there will be soldiers at the interface between cultures even if they are not necessarily at war. A reflective reader may therefore draw several useful insights from history from this work. Although it is somewhat more expensive than the normal work of popular military history due to the fact that it is an academic work, the cost is made up by the depth of the material. In all essays the writing is clean and free of excessive specialized jargon, and in most cases the footnotes serve double duty by adding depth through supplemental explanation. I would heartily recommend this book to any serious military historian.

The Fortunes of Texas series is excellent and this is the first book in the 11 or 12 book drama. I had to get each one, and it began with this romance, about Dr. Lucinda Brightwater and Holden Fortune. Lucinda ends up marrying her old crush from high school. The background story of the family kidnapping develops nicely throughout the series and keeps you hanging on to find out what happens to baby Bryan Fortune and baby James. Maggie Shayne is just as good writing fantasy romances like Infinity and Eternity as she is the cowboy romance. At the end of the series, I wished there was more Fortune stories!

This is a blow by blow story of impeachment and also a story of a woman that took her husbands place as Govenor after he was impeached.

In this book Texas's first woman Govenor Ma Fergison at last gets her due.

Ma Fergison was a house hold word in Texas during the twenties's and thirties's

There is no other book that tells the secrets about this much disputed and much malighed administration. The Legislation tried to impeach Ma, but she would not let then call the session.

This book captivated me and kept my attention it is so amazing that the impeachment of the Govenor had so many paralls to the impeachment of President Clinton.

Ma put her desk in the capitol next to the desk of her husband...Texas was refered to as having two Govenors for the price of one.

Ma okyed a horse racing track in Arlington Texas because her Husband Jim liked to play the ponies.

Bonnie Bartel Latino says further: Exactly who is Miss Emily Rose? She's the hypothetical angel in the whirlwind battle for Texas' independence from Mexico, who captivates the imagination and leads the reader across several generations of family, Texas, and American history.

MISS EMILY is written in the cinemagraphic style, which shows what the characters are doing and experiencing, rather than merely telling the story, but the authors, Ben Durr and Anne Corwin, have not simply painted vibrant characters on the canvas. They have delicately brushed in the subtleties that bring the characters to life.

For example, when Emily de Zavala's husband dies in Chapter One, she had not seen her cousin Rose for some months and did not recognize her. At the funeral Emily saw an almost familiar female figure among the mourners. ". . . A heavy veil concealed her face; her black dress of coarse cotton showed the tops of well-worn shoes. The woman was surely not of her circle. And yet there was a rare grace about her and that slim figure had a familiar shape. She knew that shape, if she could only remember . . ." When the above passage continues, ". . .But the memories were scrambled and she stood silent. The baby began to whimper in Mr. Smith's arms. The children tugged at her skirt," the authors engage the senses as well as the reader's mind.

Anyone who has ever grieved at the funeral of a loved one, has experienced those perfectly described scrambled memories. Seconds later, the reader almost hears the baby's low cry and feels Mrs. de Zavala's other children tugging on the hem of her dress.

You will want to add this novel to your private collection if you enjoy epic sagas that are fictionalizations of actual events. In this case, the Battle of San Jacinto.

Beautifully written and skillfully crafted, "MISS EMILY" resonates with the ring of authenticity of place and time to the extent that the reader will feel as if he/she is reading a memoir rather than historical fiction.

MISS EMILY, the Yellow Rose of Texas is definitely not in the romance genre, but romance is woven as tightly as Texas barbed-wire around this historical narrative that is a must read!

I liked this book because it is well organized and informative. At the beginning of every chapter the author includes a list of key terms; and key words are bolded and defined through out the chapters. In the back of the book, there's a glossary. This book covers the main topics of the Texas Real Estate Sales Exam in a very thorough, organized way.

Having myself grown up in Dallas, I have watched Chip Moody for many years. There would always be a night when Mr. Moody wasn't in his usual anchor chair behind the news desk ~ he was back in the hospital. My brother was just diagnosed with cancer, and it appears to be the kind that the author of this book has ~ lymphoma. So I was not at all interested in reading a "sterile' medical thesis or a 'grab your hankie' sad story. Mr. Moody tells of his many adventures throughout life. Some have come from being in the profession that he is, and some from having the cancer that he has found himself facing. But be prepared to laugh, Mr. Moody has a real knack for telling stories! There are several chapters that deal with the cancer specifically and what he has gone through from the beginning. This was scary, yet reassuring to read ~ being not from a doctor's standpoint, but from a 'real' person's. The last chapter offers true words of encouragement, especially to those who are going through, or getting ready to go through this tough battle ~ be it as a patient, family member, or friend. I cannot give this book enough stars. Mr. Moody has made me realize that a person can fight back this debilitating disease. Although not all will be victorious in this battle, their courageous fight will enable future warriors more powerful weapons and skills on how to conquer this dreaded enemy. Thank you Mr. Moody ~ All my stars to you.

During his years as the prize winning "Texana" columnist for The Dallas Morning News, Kent Biffle, with a gritty feel for Texas history and a wry humor has given his readers a solid backgrounding in all manner of characters and events Texian, Tejano, Texican, Tex-Mex, and Texan. "A MONTH OF SUNDAYS' is a University of North Texas Press selection of his most memorable pieces. This Texas book rates five big lone stars.

By now even I, a Philadelphia gardener who visits Houston every 6 weeks or so, know that Dale Groom is a genius--Texas style. In "Month-by-Month Gardening in Texas," he and his equally wonderful cowriter, Dan Gill, provide a treasure trove of information for everything from roses to houseplants in the easiest-to-use format I've ever encountered.

You want to know what you need to do in March? Turn to the large, easy-to-read, illustrated (but not too much) calendar-type March pages. You'll find out how much water your houseplants need, if and when you need to prune your bushes, if it is too early or too late to plant your annuals, and so forth. The at-a-glance style of the book provides quick and easy answers that anyone can understand.

Very serious gardeners, who are interested in the details of propogation and grafting, for instance, will not find the depth of information they need in this book. This is exactly what it says it is: a month-to-month guide. This was a gift to me from a near-and-dear Texan, and I cherish it. You will too.