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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Southwest", sorted by average review score:

18 Wheels of Justice
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Pinnacle Books (July, 1997)
Author: Ray Tex Brown
Average review score:

RAY BROWN aka RAYMOND LONNIE STINNETT IS A FELON.
IN THE OPINION OF THE READER THE PUBLISHER SHOULD NOT PRINT THE MATERIALS PORTRAYING "HEROS" WHO ARE IN REAL LIFE AND BY THEIR REAL NAMES FELONS. LAW ENFORCEMENT DESERVES MORE RESPECT THAN TO HAVE MR. STINNETT'S WRITING REPORTED AS TRUE CRIME. THE CREDIBILITY OF A FELON DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO 'TRUE CRIME' - OR DOES IT?

The Man behind the book
This book was awesome! Everyone at one point in time wants to be a hero or legend and this book gave you it all.On a personal note this man was more than his book was. Greywolf I am sorry you let your review be so shallow. But you only know your reasons. To everyone who reads this book though now passed a Big Part of this Hero will live on Forever. He fought for what he belived in, lived to help his fellow man, and was laid to rest if in no others eyes,in mine a hero and a friend. Junior if ever given the chance never forget our last ride,and know I love you.

The Real World
Some people might not like this book unless they do know or have seen the world from the side of people that can't be helped by the police. I know a man that is a bounty hunter and I have seen the great things that he has done for people that the law couldn't because they don't have the authority too. On some things citizens have more authority then public officials. I TOTALLY respect anyone that would be willing to help out with the law and do what the cops can't and in some cases just do there dirty work for them. This is a great book and three cheers for it!


Captivity of the Oatman girls
Published in Unknown Binding by Literature House ()
Author: Royal B. Stratton
Average review score:

Inaccurate account
The story is very inaccurate, and was written by a very biased viewpoint. I have read further into the life of Olive Oatman, and while there are many conflicting stories, this one is inaccurate even as far as the tribe who actually captured them. We have to remember that this account was written at a time when all Indians were seen as blood thirsty savages, and the truth was often "Hollywoodized."

OATMAN GIRLS....A TALE OF TRAGEDY
The book is very well written and the details make the reader feel as if he/she is present at each narration. The trauma and ordeals that Olive and Mary Ann are put through are enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes. The moral in the entire narration seems to be to appreciate what you have. Not everyone is fortunate enough to lead a "normal" life.

A non-hollywood view of the "noble" savage
Tragic story of a pioneer teenage girl who survives a family massacre only to be held capitive for many years by heartless, blood-thirtsy So West Indians. If one takes this poor girl's experiences to heart, they will never consider Indians the "innocent victims of the white man" again. The unexpected & unique benefit of this book is finding the site where the massacre occurred, an adventure in itself.


Driftless Stories: Outdoors in Southwest Wisconsin
Published in Paperback by Prairie Oak Press (15 June, 2001)
Author: John Motoviloff
Average review score:

Disappointing
While Motoviloff's book promised to offer insight and wisdom on the unique natural beauty of the Driftless region, it ended up failing in the end. The author claims to understand the area's inhabitants, both human and animal, and the ecosystem they share. However, he also feels the region's natural resources are at his disposal. The entire book, which perhaps might have discussed the delicate balance of plants and animals, consists entirely of hunting and fishing stories, and poorly written ones at that. The book lacks a plot, or even a hint of excitement. It stirred only disgust at his total lack of respect for the land. Motoviloff, who only vacations in the Driftless region, lacks the experience and knowledge that only years of living in the region can give. The region doesn't need another man to harvest its fish or kill its wild game. It needs a conservationist who understands the land and respects it.

A wonderful little book
Billed as a collection of hunting and fishing essays, Motoviloff brings the sights, sounds and smells of the driftless region to life with his vivid prose. While some are straight hunting and fishing tales, most are splendid little vignettes which reveal a telling, almost religious, bond between the author and the places of which he writes. A wonderful little book.

Father's Day recommendation
a great book for father's day a. Any outdoors person concerned with nature and balance will love this book.


Gila Monster: Facts and Folklore of America's Aztec Lizard
Published in Paperback by Univ of Utah Pr (Trd) (June, 1999)
Authors: David E. Brown and Neil B. Carmony
Average review score:

promotes misconceptoins of the lizard
The overall content of the book was good and easily readable, but especially on the cover the authors stated some out and out untruths about the Gila Monster. The Gila Monster is not the only lizard with a forked tongue or with an armored hide as the authors stated. The varanids and teiids also have forked tongue and at least some have armored hides. I tend to disagree with a few other comments made in the book, but at present these are just my opinions and need more research before I can justify an argument against them. The book was interesting, but have some suspicion when reading as to whether or not it is all correct.

Good introduction to the lizard
Fascinating information regarding early envenomations in the American West, a good bibliography, and wonderful introduction to the subject suitable for any naturalist.

Ignore the cover and read the book
It is an unfortunate fact of publishing that the people who design book covers are not the same as those who write the books. In fact, authors frequently have little or no say over how their work is packaged. I suspect this is the case for Brown and Carmony's excellent work on Gila monsters.

It is true that Gila Monster, Facts and Folklore of America's Aztec Lizard carries errors on the back cover, but there are none in the text. Indeed, Brown and Carmony communicate their fascinating subject in a manner that is both readable and accurate. They present not only a complete picture of Gila Monster biology, but also a fascinating look the animals' cultural significance. I heartily urge this book for anyone who has an interest in the herpetology, natural history, or folklore of the American Southwest.


The Great Taos Bank Robbery: And Other True Stories of the Southwest
Published in Paperback by Perennial Press (02 October, 2001)
Author: Tony Hillerman
Average review score:

Deceptive Packaging
I bet I'm not the only one who was fooled into thinking this book was a work of fiction. The cover art looks just like Hillerman's best selling novels. I liked the lead story, "The Great Taos Bank Robbery", but the rest were only mildly interesting. Not worth the price of admission.

Get with Reality
If you have spent ANY time in New Mexico (or a lifetime like me), there is a Favor & Life Style here that is Unique. With the Modern World slithering in & changing everything, this book is a Wonderful Testament to the way things used to be. If you are here for any length of time you may still experience some of the conditions & Personalities described, but like the Roswell Aliens, they can be difficult to find. If you have no sense of Humor, don't read this-try the daily paper.

What New Mexico is really about
Readers expecting Leaphorn and Chee will be disappointed -- but this is a wonderful book, a collection of essays from Hillerman's journalist days. He neatly skewers Indian-wannabes in "The Navajo Who Had So Many Friends ...," although "The Messenger Birds" and the piece on Mt. Taylor prove (as if we didn't know it already) that he's highly sensitive to the Native American point of view. And although the hilarious title story is mostly of historical interest in today's post-hippie Taos, it'll strike a responsive chord with anyone who's spent time in rural NM. The essay on Reies Tijerina elucidates the (still) sore point of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and its land-grant repercussions ... and yes, we do still have bubonic plague here, although in the era of antibiotics it's not the threat it was in medieval Europe. For someone who wants a sense of what New Mexico is REALLY all about, I recommend this as far and away the best book on the subject (a good runner-up is Stan Crawford's "Majordomo").


Healing Ways: Navajo Health Care in the Twentieth Century
Published in Hardcover by University of New Mexico Press (October, 2001)
Author: Wade Davies
Average review score:

Narrow, unfocused and not very well-written
Davies' book is extremely narrow and there is no real attempt to place the Navajo's experiences in a broader context. At the most basic level, Healing Ways reads like a dissertation and not a very good one at that. There are numerous errors in the text (better copy editing and, even more importantly, a better knowledge of the field of medical history would have made this book a better and easier read). The book is pitched as a second half to White Man's Medicine---a book written by one of Davies' professors in graduate school. White Man's Medicine is a much better book and I am sorry to see Healing Ways paired with White Man's Medicine.

Greater understanding between cultures
I found this book to be helpful in understanding cultural differences not just between Western society and Navajos but other cultures as well. As someone who works as a volunteer with refugees from several different countries, the information in the book has given me a greater incentive to be more tolerant and understanding with the reservations that people of other backgrounds have to some of our medical practices and government procedures. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes collected by the author of personal experiences and opinions of Navajos.

A well-researched scholarly study
This is a well-written study of a topic that really hasn't been dealt with in such thorough detail before. In fact, this is the only book I've been able to find anywhere about Navajo health care after World War II. I was impressed by the author's extensive use of interviews with the Navajos themselves for his research, in addition to the voluminous written records he used. It's only fitting, given the Navajos' rich oral tradition, that a study of their culture should draw heavily on firsthand, oral sources.
Prof. Davies' argument that both traditional Navajo healing and Western medicine have valid and valuable contributions to make is well supported, and the idea that each has something to learn from the other is encouraging not only for the future of Navajo health care but for all of Western medicine. Overall, this is a thoroughly professional study written in a clear hand that's easily accessible to any reader, not just professors and grad students.


Judgment at Gallatin: The Trial of Frank James
Published in Hardcover by Texas Tech University Press (July, 1998)
Authors: Gerard S. Petrone and Richard Maxwell Brown
Average review score:

Good Writing/Dubious Accuracy
The book is well-written in a lively, engrossing style, but... Oh, dear... I found several factual errors within the first 22 pages. This was the part of the story I knew and had researched, so knew there were mistakes in fact. When I came to the part I wanted to learn about the previous errors cast doubts over what I was then reading. Even if the rest of the story is flawlessly accurate, I couldn't trust it. Truly a pity as the book is, otherwise, very well done.

--since originally writing that, I've done more research on the subject and have gone back to the book... only to find more errors! Some are trivial (but would have been easy enough to get right) and some are significant.

ENTERTAINING ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY (19th)
What a great read! Frank James, outlaw, enters the office of the governor of Missouri and lays down his pistol. His trial was set in a opera house, since the courtroom could not accomodate the large crowd gathered. Fourteen flamboyant trial lawyers and colorful cast of witnesses head up the supporting cast. If you thought the OJ Simpson trial was interesting, check this book out!

The Finest Book About the Trial of Frank James Ever Written.
I recently appeared on NBC's the "Today" show regarding my latest scholarly discovery of four new photographs of Jesse James, Cole Younger, Jim Younger and Belle Starr. I assisted Gerrard Petrone in writing, what I believe to be the finest book written about Frank James. The book is steeped in scholarly content and full of specific details that relate the true story of Frank James, not a 19th or 20th century reconstruction of the truth. Petrone's writing style and original newspaper source material from the period, make for exciting reading. The story of Frank James leaps off the page, so boldly, that one feels the excitement associated with reading a newspaper headline of the information for the first time. The story of the trial of Frank James and the resulting verdict speaks strongly about the era of reconstruction in Missouri. The war was over, however many still held strong feelings against the North. The trial brought out some of the South's finest generals and decorated survivors. The jury was in awe of the those called to testify and the courtroom presence of Frank James was very impressive. Petrone also includes true tales of the James Gang that are found in the testimony of many witnesses. These stories, which were told in court, were recorded, but have not seen the light of day for decades. The exciting story told by a teenage boy, hiding in a small post office, at night is a fine example. Clutching and aiming a loaded shotgun, he is anticipating being robbed by a shadowy figure on the other side of a glass door.....who is about to try the door knob. The frightened boy almost stopped Jesse James in his tracks and rewrote the history of the West. Astonishingly, he lives to tell the tale in court, to Frank James himself. I would reccomend the book to anyone interested in the authentic history of the American West or criminal law. I am sure that Petrone's book will become invaluable to any further research about Frank James: the man, the myth , the acquitted.


Michelin NEOS Guide Turkey, 1e (NEOS Guide)
Published in Paperback by Michelin Travel Publications (01 April, 2000)
Authors: Michelin Staff and Michelin Travel Publications
Average review score:

Disappointed with NEOS Guide
After perusing several guides to Turkey, I purchased this one b/c the old dependables (Lonely Planet/Rough Guide) were a bit whiny and I wanted a change. After getting to Turkey last October, I wished I had taken a Lonely Planet/Rough Guide, or even Let's Go. The Neos is particularly bad when it comes to travel logistics, especially if you're planning to "rough it" and take public transport. Luckily, every other independent traveller had a copy of one of the above to help us make our way through Turkey. My friend and I traveled with 2 other guidebooks. Surprisingly, the Cadogan was much better for historical information/background than the Michelin one. Hands down, the guidebooks by the French publisher Routard are the BEST! Their city guide for Istanbul was wonderful. Don't buy the NEOS if you plan to travel around with a backpack. I left mine in Turkey, it wasn't worth the weight home.

It's a turkey
I'm a great fan of Michelin guide books and of Turkey. So I bought this one anticipating the usual thorough coverage of sites, restaurants, & hotels. I generally agree with their ratings of the sites they include, & like their descriptions. But whatever happened to eastern & southeastern Turkey? Yes, the Kurds have made some of these areas inhospitable, but Urfa, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Lake Van, among others, aren't even mentioned!

Then there's the coverage of hotels & restaurants. This is a fine book for backpackers, but what about the fine hotels & cuisine in Turkey? Not a mention of the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, the Kismet in Kusadasi, the Dedeman in Nevsehir and Antalya, etc. If you want to travel upscale, try Frommers or the Blue Guide.

Michelin NEOS Guide Turkey
Just got back and found the book to be wonderful. Its description of the sites visited, its rankings and general information on Turkey history, culture and places was indespensable. Wouldn't go without it. It is on of the best I have seen.


Archaeology of the Southwest
Published in Hardcover by Academic Press (November, 1997)
Author: Linda Cordell
Average review score:

Only For Professional Academics
This text does include a lot of information on the southwest, but is not organized. The text does not flow, and some ideas seem to be abruptly discontinued. Items brought up are never explored, and some items are never introduced, just thrown in. The author seems to assume that the reader already has a good basis in southwestern arch, and explains ideas accordingly.

This book may be just fine for the professional in the field, but as a graduate student just being introduced to SW arch, the book was confusing and contradictory. Cordell may know what she's talking about, but is not an author.

Best College Text on SW Prehistory
This updated text is the best textbook on Southwest Archaeology available for undergraduates. Not only does it cover all of the important cultural groups, but it touches upon numerous important issues currently being explored in the field. It provides an excellent introduction to all of the major topics in Southwest Archaeology and provides enough information to inspire further investigation on any of these topics by an interested student. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in a general introduction to the subject.

The best serious text yet written on southwest archeology
Linda Cordell's extensively revised and updated text is just fabulous.I teach Archeology of New Mexico at the U. of New Mexico and this text has it all--It handles fact and theory straightforwardly,is well illustrated and has the best single bibliography available.Students and professionals just can't miss with this one.


Hiking the Southwest's Canyon Country
Published in Paperback by Mountaineers Books (June, 2003)
Author: Sandra Hinchman

Related Vacation Book Subjects: Utah
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