Keep on Bookin'

Branigan computer classes -- The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho in Las Cruces, offer free computer classes for all skill levels in July. In-person registration is 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, at the library or on the phone after. Class size limited. Information/registration: (575) 528-4005, (575) 528-4026. Complete schedule available at library reference desk or at library.las-cruces.org.
July classes include: Know Your PC, Internet for Beginners, Word 2007, Excel 2007, New Media and You and Introduction to Vista.

Border Book Festival sale -- The 5th annual “Book Extravaganza” is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, July 3-5, at Cultural Center de Mesilla, 2231 Calle de Parian (one block west of the Mesilla Post Office). The sale includes new and used first-edition and out-of-print children’s and adult books. Donations of books, posters, art and miscellaneous book-related items accepted. Information: (575) 523-3988 or borderbookfestival.org.

City of Night Book Club -- Rio Grande Adelante hosts the book club and social gathering for LGBT community and friends at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month (July 6). Location and book titles vary each month. Admission is free. Information/location: 356-0325 or rgadelante.com.

Barnes & Noble (East Side) -- 9521 Viscount. Information: 590-1932.
Recurring activities:
-- Eastside Sisters in Crime reading club meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 7 to discuss “No More Dying Then” by Ruth Rendell.
Children’s Story Hour, including activities with Miss Heather, and Pajama-rama storytime is 7 p.m. every Friday.
Kids can earn a free book in the Summer Reading Program, through Sept. 7. This year’s program features author Rick Riordan’s popular “Percy Jackson” series including “The Lightning Thief,” “The Battle of the Labyrinth” and “The Last Olympian.” Kids entering grades 1-6 can pick up a reading form to log their progress. Those who read eight books during the summer months and turn in a completed reading form can receive a free book from a pre-selected list. Forms available in both English and Spanish on-line at barnesandnoble.com/summerreading.

Summer Reading programs -- The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho in Las Cruces, continues its free programs for both adults and youth through July 10. Registration at the reference desk inside the library.
The adult program “Express Yourself @ Your Library,” allows adults to read for prizes and take part in special programs. Participants read four books and their name will be placed in a box for a weekly drawing. Participants need not be present to win. Drawings will be held each Monday for the weekly prize and drawing.
Upcoming programs:
-- June 29 -- 2 to 4 p.m. Exotic Gardening in Las Cruces
-- July 6 -- 1 to 4 p.m. Rag Rug Family Heirlooms
Information: Adult program, (575) 528-4005; youth program, (575) 528-4085 or library.las-cruces.org/.
Youth program “Be Creative @ Your Library” is open to children ages four to 11. Children track the amount of time they spend reading to earn prizes, including a tote bag if they complete eight hours. Children not yet reading on their own may sign up as listeners.
-- July 10 -- 11 a.m. Judy Pancoast, musical entertainer.

Barnes & Noble (West Side) -- 705 Sunland Park. Hours are 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Information: 581-5353.
Author signings and special events:
-- Charles Harris and Louis Sadler will sign copies of their book “The Secret War in El Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906-1920” at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 11. The book covers untold story of El Paso and its role as the scene of clandestine operations during the Mexican Revolution.
-- Panjah of Jesus will sign copies of her novel “Set On Edge” at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18. A female gangster has an encounter with God.
Recurring activities and groups:
-- Sisters in Crime mystery reading group meets at 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, to discuss “Murder with Peacocks” by Donna Andrews.
-- Third Monday Reading Group meets 10 a.m. Monday, July 20, to discuss “Song Yet Sung” by James McBride.
-- En la Sombra de Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz bilingual reading group meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 21.
-- The new Barnes & Noble Jr. Book Club for young readers meets at 6 p.m. Friday, July 24, to discuss “The Adventures of Captain Underpants” by Dav Pilkey.
Children’s storytimes are 11 a.m. Saturdays, unless listed otherwise. No storytime July 4.
-- July 11 -- Children’s World Magazine hosts Chef John-Paul Delamotte, who will teach kids to make an easy treat.
-- July 18 -- Storyteller Mr. Pedro will share stories and play the guitar.
-- July 25 -- Miss Theresa will share some of her favorite stories and lead a craft time.
Kids can earn a free book in the Summer Reading Program, through Sept. 7. This year’s program features author Rick Riordan’s popular “Percy Jackson” series including “The Lightning Thief,” “The Battle of the Labyrinth” and “The Last Olympian.” Kids entering grades 1-6 can pick up a reading form to log their progress. Those who read 8 books during the summer months and turn in a completed reading form can receive a free book from a pre-selected list. Forms available in both English and Spanish on-line at barnesandnoble.com/summerreading.

Tumblewords Project -- The writing workshops are 12:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Saturdays at Memorial Park Public Library, 3200 Copper. Workshops are free; donations for the presenter are encouraged. Now in its 13th year, the group is open to all writers in a non-critique, non-caustic forum. Newcomers of all ages welcome. Information: 328-5484 or tumblewordsproject@yahoo.com. Web: tumblewordsproject.com.
-- July 11 -- “Aux. 28 Word Works” with Nicholas Matta. Matta, who calls himself a “musical jester,’ is a lover of music and musical things who also works in visual arts and videos. Aux. 78 is a solo music project with loose rules. Full albums are available for free at aux78.bandcamp.com.
-- July 18 and 25 -- Lucille Zavala, a bilingual writer of stories and poetry. Zavala’s two presentations will continue her ad hoc series of workshops premised in spirituality. The July 18 workshop is “Impermanence,” and the July 25 workshop is “Compassion II.”
Tumbleweeds founder Donna Snyder will present special workshops based on the works of Tom Lea in celebration of Tom Lea Month 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18, in El Paso Museum of Art’s Tom Lea Gallery, and July 25 at El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch’s main entrance foyer.

BPEP School for Authors -- Book Publishers of El Paso hosts a special “Writing and Publishing Your Book” workshop 5:5 to 7:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, July 13-16, at 1055-B Humble Place. Cost is $38. Class limited to five adults. Subjects include: Writing Standards/Book Requirements, Market Planning and Publishing Options. Information and registration: 472-7480. (Regular classes and workshops will resume Sept. 12.)

Branigan Library book reviews -- The Friends of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library will host a review of Simon Winchester’s “The Man Who Loved China,” at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, in the library’s Terrace Gallery, 200 E. Picacho, with reviewer Louise Forshaw. Admission is free. Information: (575) 521-4845.

Barnes & Noble (Las Cruces) -- 700 S. Telshor in Mesilla Valley Mall. Information: (575) 522-4499.
Children’s storytimes are 10 a.m. Fridays.
Kids can earn a free book in the Summer Reading Program, through Sept. 7. Forms available in both English and Spanish on-line at barnesandnoble.com/summerreading.

‘Friends of Library’ cookbook -- Friends of Branigan Library’s first fundraising cookbook, “The Best of Friends,” is on display and sale at the library’s Books N More bookstore, 200 E. Picacho, Las Cruces. Eighty-three cooks from Las Cruces, El Paso, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan contributed 400 recipes for this collection, which includes a Southwestern Flavors section. Cost: $20; proceeds benefit library programs. Information: (575) 521-4845.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Closed July 3-4.

Way Out West Texas Book Festival -- The Rotary Club of Alpine, Texas will host the festival benefiting area libraries July 31-Aug. 1, at Sul Ross State University’s Espino Conference Center, featuring lectures, panel discussions, books signings with premier artists and authors, and more. Information: (432) 386-4695 or info@wowtxbookfestival.com. Web: wowtxbookfestival.com.
A chuckwagon supper and songfest is 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, at Kokernot Lodge with music by Mike Blakely. Tickets by reservation; call for cost.
Keynote speaker is author Stephen Harrigan, who has written for numerous periodicals, published four novels, produced three works of nonfiction, and scripted many television movies. Harrigan was a staff writer and senior editor at “Texas Monthly,” for several years. Non-fiction works include “Water and Light: A Diver’s Journey to a Coral Reef.” Novels include “Aransas,” “Jacob’s Well,” “The Gates of the Alamo” and “Challenger Park.” He has written many television movies including “The Last of His Tribe” and “King of Texas,” a western retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Saturday’s programs are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include free programs featuring authors of Western Non-Fiction, Texas Rangers, Natural History of the Big Bend, humorous fiction and more. Featured authors and artists include Elizabeth Crook, Laurence Parent, Joe Nick Patoski, Dixie Cash, Wyatt McSpadden, Bill Neal, Paulette Jiles, Mike Cox, Carol Dawson, Scott Wiggerman, E. Dan Klepper, Karleen Koen and Mike Blakely.
Events conclude with a Grand Gala dinner Saturday, Aug. 1, featuring humorist Sarah Bird. Bird writes the back page column for Texas Monthly every other month, and her most recent novel “How Perfect Is That,” a look at high and low Austin society, was recently awarded an Elle Magazine Reader’s Prize. She recently won a National Magazine Silver Award for her columns in Texas Monthly. Times/ticket prices to be announced.

Literary Open Mic - Area poet and editor Wayne Crawford will host literary open-mic nights during the monthly Downtown Ramble 5:30 to 7 p.m. the first Friday of each month at The Rio Grande Theatre in the Las Cruces Downtown Mall. Everyone is invited. Information: (575) 541-8073 or wayne1@zianet.com.

The Bookery -- 10167 Socorro Road, Socorro. The Bookery, inside the Mission Trail Trading Post about a half-mile past the Socorro Mission, specializes in children’s books, storytelling puppets, teachers’ resources and regional interest books. Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: 859-6132 or 859-4066.

‘Magic Carpet StoryTime’ -- Doña Ana Arts Council hosts free storytelling events 11:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Rio Grande Theatre in the Las Cruces Downtown Mall. Information: (575) 523-6403.

New on the Border Book Shelf

The Secret War in El Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906-1920 by Charles H. Harris III and Louis R. Sadler (University of New Mexico Press). In El Paso, the Mexico Revolution is local history. El Pasoans gathered on their rooftops when the first rifle shots were fired in the Battle of Juárez, and many of those rifles and ammunition came through El Paso, as did a parade of revolutionaries, mercenaries, public officials and businessmen who had a stake in the fighting. The role El Paso played in the revolution is the focus of this well-researched book by two emeritus history professors from New Mexico State University. Besides recounting the fascinating story of the revolution, whose most important battles were fought at our doorstep, “The Secret War in El Paso” brings to light the findings gleaned from 80,000 pages of previously classified FBI documents. Harris and Sadler also dug up hundreds of secret agent reports from Mexican government archives.
The book begins with the historic meeting of U.S. President William Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Diaz in El Paso in 1909, on the eve of the revolution that would depose the dictator. The book backtracks to the early struggles against Diaz by the ill-fated Magonistas, then goes forward to the revolution launched by Francisco Madero. Madero and so many other Mexican Revolution leaders such as Carranza, Orozco, Obregon and Villa are household names in El Paso for good reason -- they relied on their border connections to arm their men, fund their war and gain U.S. support, often meeting openly at places such as the Sheldon Hotel or even a local El Paso ice cream shop. The book moves on to the infamous Villa raid on Columbus, General Pershing’s Punitive Expedition and the World War I era, all of which generated intense interest on gathering foreign intelligence by the FBI and other agencies.
What’s fascinating about this chapter in history is not just the role that El Paso played 100 years ago, but also the continuing echoes of that history today. A century ago, the U.S. worried about gunrunners supplying revolutionaries in Juárez. Today they’re supplying drug cartels. A century ago El Pasoans dodged stray bullets from the battles between federal and revolutionary forces. Today we still fear violence spilling over the border.
“The Secret War in El Paso” is available at local bookstores, UNM Press or other retail book sources. Its 488 pages include over 100 pages of notes, bibliography and index.

-- Randy Limbird

“Blue Rooms, Black Holes, White Lights” by Belinda Subraman, with illustrations by César Ivan. (Unlikely Books). This brief, yet poignant collection of poets by the El Paso/Ruidoso poet, a registered nurse who spent her recent years with hospice work, is a very real observation of life in caregiving.
It includes several revelations of going through grief as well as discovering the melancholy miracle of experiencing a person released from the chains of mortal life, as in the case of her own father, shared in several poems including “The Visit,” and “Issues, Colors.” She also brief touches on human perception, including the heightened sense of place and detail observation in pieces like “In Just One Corner of One Room in My Mother’s House.”
Ivan sets the tone of the book well with his darkly intriguing art that is both disturbing and compelling.
Like many poetry collections, the readers’ own state of mind and situation in life will determine what they get out of the book. For me, I found it at times and very reflective and refreshingly honest, and at other times a bit “close to home” in the memory department, as for anyone who may have recently lost a loved one.

— Lisa Kay Tate

“Labor Pains and Birth Stories,” Edited by Jessica Powers with introduction by Tina Cassidy. (Catalyst Book Press).
This compilation of essays, features writers from across the country and overseas, including a couple of regional contributors, sharing their varied stories and perspectives on the pregnancy and birth experiences, both wonderful and heartbreaking.
One area author, Carmen Gimenez Smith, shares the familiar out-of-control racing of the mind during the last trimester of pregnancy of a second child in “Estrangement/Arrangement.” There never seems to be a relief from anxiety and doubt until the child is safely out of the mother’s belly and in her arms.
What I found refreshing is the inclusion of the male perspective as well. In Las Cruces writer Pierre Laroche’s piece “Out of the Woods,” he shares the intimate joy and horror between and man and a woman of giving birth and experiencing loss due to miscarriage. It seems we females tend to be pretty stingy with the “pregnancy and motherhood” cult, we forget the fathers waiting and praying (sometimes silently) at our sides.
As a mother (and a current mother-of-two-to-be), this read couldn’t have been more appropriate. I wouldn’t recommended it as a self-help guide or guaranteed means or healing, but it is certainly comforting to know there’s other out there with the hopes, fears, triumphs and tragedies that swirl like a tempest in the hearts (and uteri) or all mothers.

-- Lisa Kay Tate
El Paso publishers Cinco Puntos Press continue their trend of colorful Spanish-English bilingual children’s books with three new releases.
-- “A Perfect Season for Dreaming: Una tiempo perfecto para soñar” by Benjamin Alire Saenz with illustrations by Esau Andrade Valencia. When Octavio Rivera lies down to dream each lazy afternoon, he is showered with the most unlikely of treats from a magical piñata. After several dreams — some filled with a passing nod to the border region — Rivera struggles to find just the right person to share them with. Saenz’s poetic background and Valencia’s folksy canvas paintings were made for each other, as they take Octavio through his subconscious journeys. A pleasant read that leaves the reader feeling as if they have just woken from their own peaceful afternoon slumber, ready to share their own fanciful stories with their own children, grandchildren and friends.
— Lisa Kay Tate

-- “Baila Nana, Baila (Dance, Nana, Dance) Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish” retold by Joe Hayes, with illustrations by Mauricio Trenard Sayago. Storyteller extraordinaire Joe Hayes ventures beyond the Southwest and heads east to the island nation of Cuba for his latest compilation of collected stories and folktales, seasoned with African, Spanish and Caribbean influences. Hayes compiled these tales after attending a conference in Cuba in 2001. The result is a rich as a cup of Cuban coffee, filled with magic, sorcery, demons, sometimes animals and even foolish humans. Stories include the lazy imp-charmer “Pedro Malito,” the boatman who seeks to rescue a beautiful woman from “The Hairy Old Devil Man” and a fire-hoarding sorceress. Each tale is introduced through a painting by Cuban-born Mauricio Sayago.
— Lisa Kay Tate

-- “Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid,” written and illustrated by Xavier Garza. Vague reminiscent of a red-nosed reindeer called upon for Christmas Eve duties, Vincent’s Tio Pancho is summoned to help his cousin Santa complete his rounds along the Rio Grande. Decked out in mariachi splendor as Charro Claus, with a cart and burro serving as transportation, the uncle carries a stowaway — his nephew Vincent, renamed the Tejas Kid. This story will serve as border variation on “The Night Before Christmas,” and the imagery of a sombrero-clad Santa’s helper might hit much closer to home.
— Randy Limbird

“Historic Photos of El Paso” — (Turner Publishing). This new coffee-table gift book is primarily a selection of photographs from the El Paso Public Library’s Aultman Collection, with text and captions by Sandra Fye.
I started out a bit skeptical about the book, since it seemed like a formulaic approach: Find a lot of historic photos in the public domain, hire an area writer to annotate them and market it for gift-giving. Turner Publishing has produced dozens of these collections around the country, including books devoted to historic photos of Albuquerque, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Phoenix and Tucson. They almost all sell for $39.95 each.
Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed the experience of flipping through the pages and refreshing my knowledge of El Paso history as well as learning some new stuff. The bite-sized format lends itself well to a book perfectly packaged for waiting rooms and coffee tables. Organized in five eras, the book covers a century of El Paso captured by cameras. The photos start in the early 1880s with the advent of the railroads, which turned El Paso from dusty frontier trading post to a boomtown. The last chapter claims to go through 1980, but the photos only chronicle El Paso through the mid-20th century.
The book made me thankful that Otis Aultman, an obviously prolific and hard-working photographer and collector, plied his trade in the Sun City from the time he moved here in 1909 to his death in 1943. Of the nearly 200 photos in the book, 90 percent are from the Aultman Collection; the rest came from the Library of Congress and the El Paso Historical Society.
Anyone with an interest in El Paso history will enjoy this book, and it makes a great complement to Frank Mangan’s “El Paso in Pictures,” which was reprinted last year by TCU Press.
“Historic Photos of El Paso” is available at turnerpublishing.com or call 1-800-788-3350.
— Randy Limbird

Recent released from Book Publishers of El Paso include:

-- “I Forgive Them,” by David Kaplan. Kaplan, a long-time El Paso resident and Fort Bliss veteran and native of Lithuania, shares his nightmarish experience of his time in Nazi concentration camps from age 12 to 16. He decided to share his survival of the camp, as well as the infamous Death March, when he turned 78 in 2007. Through interviews conducted in 2004 by UTEP journalism professor David Smith-Soto, Kaplan relates every detail he can remember about his and other prisoners’ treatment, his own emotional and sometimes hormonal struggles coming of age in the concentration camp setting, his life prior to being taken, and even the conflicts in Russia preceding the war.
Although the interview style tends to jump around, being able to receive the story word for word as Kaplan told it gives it an intimate, conversational appeal. One of the more unnerving experiences is his description of overwhelming lice problem among prisoners that required the use of an “antilousen” oven.
Kaplan had given several reasons, for sharing his story; including letting his own grandchildren continue to tell his story. Through this book, they will be able to share his struggle and survival with their own children and grandchildren generations to come.
-- “Van Slyke—Raaberg Family History,” compiled by Stuart O. Van Slyke. Now in his 90s, this Washington State native has lived in El Paso since his being stationed as a young man at Fort Bliss. Having also published a trilogy about his own life, this fourth publication, compiles the extended history of his family as told and written by other family members. Dating from 1800s through the 1970s, these memories include military and church histories, love stories, lessons in Americana and even a child’s abduction by Indians, all given in first person form. More of a collection of stand-alone anecdotes than one long history, this book is best read a little at time to prevent the various recollections from overlapping ... and some of them are very entertaining indeed.
-- “Apache Tears” by Tom Diamond. Four years after his debut novel “Rimfire,” dealing with political and racial troubles in New Mexico Territory, Diamond returns to champion the plight of the Apache Indians once again, through the eyes of proud and strong Lozen. Lozen, sister of Chief Victorio, was endowed with the gift of “Star Power,” an ability to foretell the future. Ready to fight for the “Apache cause,” Diamond uses Lozen’s journey to reflect the desperate efforts to hold on to a way of life quickly being overtaken by the “white eyes.”
From Silver City to Hueco Tanks, local readers will be very familiar with the territory, but might be left with new way of looking at it and those who gave their lives to protect the Apacheria’s sacred realm. Diamond is best known locally as a former El Paso Democratic Party Chairman and for leading effort to legitimize the Tiguas as a tribe. His sympathy and admiration for the Native American culture and history remain evident in his works. Although melancholy in its conclusion, “Apache Tears” brings a new appreciation of the spirit of the Native American, and the legacy they still work to protect.

— Lisa Kay Tate

-- “Mrs. Meyer’s Beautiful Head (La Cabeza Hermosa de Maestra Meyer),” by Zita Meyer (with Spanish translation by Rosa Rodriguez). Meyer’s brief picture book serves a number of purposes: a brief memoir for cancer survivors, an unintimidating look at the disease and those who overcame it for young readers or a short “thank you” note to God and loved ones. Through basic text and simple drawings resembling those of a child witnessing the events, Meyer shares one small aspect of cancer treatment — hair loss — with her young students. She uses her bald head to boldly share how alike (and special) everyone is through her dialogue with these curious youth. The book also features some “face puzzles” I assume were drawn by her students and a short glossary of common cancer-related terms. The look of the book seems primitive at first, but the message of survival and self-confidence is timeless. A portion of sales proceeds go towards the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital — another sign Meyer’s thankful and sharing nature will continue.
-- “Rhythm of the Heart,” Manuel Lozano. This third collection of English and Spanish poems by the El Paso poet, is a testament to his border upbringing, along with his flair for simple, passionate works. Ranging from metered declarations of love and longing to free-form descriptions of an inner turmoil, these poems seem to all reach out to those longing for a love — or event just lust — in a desperate, chaotic world. Often using references to nature or celestial bodies, and sometimes walking the line between desire and violence, Lozano takes the reader along with him on his pursuits, and we root for him all the way.
— Lisa Kay Tate

“Renaming the Earth,” personal essays by Ray Gonzalez (University of Arizona Press). Native El Pasoan Gonzalez has published everything from poetry to fiction including his memoir “Memory Fever: A Journey Beyond El Paso del Norte.” He returns once again to his border memories on El Paso and its continual “redefining” of itself and its image from its natural landscape to its cultural identity. Now a creative writing professor at the University of Minnesota, Gonzalez’s essays depict a still deep-rooted attachment to the El Paso border area, and depicts with some fond recollections, but without sentimental rose-colored glasses.
He includes details from his guilt pangs each time he returns home, to family talk of an ill-fated two-headed lizard and even his mother’s obsession with his growing up with “normal feet.” Most prominent, however, is his sense of El Paso losing grasp of early self as it tries to scramble into the present day.
“My hometown is gone, and I wander through a different El Paso,” he writes, “loving it as I have never loved it before and wishing the ghosts of history could reenact every lost detail I need for my writing.”
If “Renaming the Earth” is any indication, Gonzalez has still retained plenty of details to work with.

— Lisa Kay Tate

“Nepantla: Essays from the Land in the Middle,” by Pat Mora (University of New Mexico Press). The first book of essays by the former El Pasoan (originally released in the early 1990s) has been re-issued in a more accessible paperback form, and still stands out as prominent source of Chicana literature, touching on such subjects as education, bilingualism, family, women’s matters and social injustices. Interspersed with Mora’s own poetry, the book takes the reader with on her own physical and inner journeys, from her recollections of her life in El Paso to its contrast to Cincinnati and visits to Latin America. Although her topics and reflections range from warm remembrances, to edgier, biting observations, Mora’s words are her way of opening up her home to her readers, and not trying to hide the dusty corners. Her introductory verse from “Welcome to My Word-House” sums it up best: “In the kitchen, family bread is always rising.”

“The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History” by James J. O’Donnell (HarperCollins). Native El Pasoan James O’Donnell, a professor of classics at several prominent northeast colleges and Provost of Georgetown University, offers a new angle on an ancient topic: the decline of Rome. Taking a more sympathetic view of the Romans, who he says are often depicted as “barbarians,” he brings the lessons that their downfall could teach man about today’s wars, including the conflicts in Iraq.
Not one to shy from controversy, O’Donnell touches on such unlikely angles as Rome’s “illegal immigration” crisis to first-century ruler Theoderic’s imposition of “tolerance and civility.” The book flows with easily digestible prose as opposed to a dry matter-of-fact, textbook style of writing. I’ve always personally found this topic extremely interesting, and feel a sense of “hometown” pride at O’Donnell’s accomplishments not only in writing, but also in his compelling new ideas.

“What Men Call Treasure: The Search for Gold At Victorio Peak,” by David Schweidel and Robert Boswell (Cinco Puntos Press). Originally turned down by New York publishers because the title “treasure” hasn’t yet been found (or even been proven to have existed at all), this book is more if study on what drives the treasure hunters themselves. Co-authored by former El Paso resident Schweidel and NMSU teacher Boswell, the focus is on the legacy and family of Ernest “Doc” Noss, who originally claimed to have found and lost the treasure hidden in the mountains of New Mexico in the late 1930s. It follows Noss’s search for the treasure that extends beyond his own life to his wife Ova’s (Babe’s) grandson, Terry Delonas, who took on his own heartbreaking quest for the treasure through the 1990s. From lawsuits, to conspiracies and personal family and inner struggles, Delonas’s quest, albeit seemingly futile, captures the ageless psyche of the human spirit always looking for the end of the rainbow. Starting with a nod to “Treasure Island,” and winding down with a nod to Odysseus, this book is filled with enough pitfalls and promises to make any would-be treasure-seeking throw down their shovel and give up the hunt ... or purchase a better one and look even harder.

“A Surprise for Baby Ruth,” by Barbara L. Rodgers, with illustrations by “Grandma” Helene Dadoune (Publish America). Rodgers, an El Paso librarian, offers this simple story based on a real-life event that occurred to her mother, Ruthie Lee Anderson, at Cohay Swamp in 1918. Ruth, who carries on each day helping her mother with chores and wishing for friends, finds an unexpected yet memorable visitor at her door one day. Dadoune’s illustrations (featuring a subtle foreshadow of the “visitor” for kids to find) resemble the simple, charming Grandma Moses style, yet aren’t reproduced with the best clarity. Other than that, this “plain-folk” little story is a good way to share a bit of everyday, early-American rural life with younger generations.

“The Socorro Blast” by Pari Noskin Taichert. (New Mexico Press). This continuation of the “Sasha Soloman Mystery” series by the Agatha Award-nominated author centers on the Socorro area. Readers will find many familiar sites including Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge and Very Large Array. Soloman’s niece, who studies explosives at NM Tech, finds herself the victim of a potential hate crime. Not familiar the past exploits of Taichert’s fiery and feisty public relations consultant (and self-appointed sleuth) protagonist, I couldn’t get too attached to any of the characters, not even her “intuitive” friend Darnda or Leo the Cat. I also found the “resolve” a little shallow. The situation itself, however, lends itself to fodder for discussion groups concerning racial profiling, hate crimes and ethnic prejudice in a post 9-11 world. Mixed with some fun and spirited wordplay and off-beat humor, this book can serve as both a “summer reading” mystery or a deeper look into one’s own hidden preconceived prejudice.

Young Adult:

“The Smell of Old Lady Perfume” by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez (Cinco Puntos Press). This El Paso native’s debut novel is a melodic and melancholy tale of a girl’s sixth-grade year. The book begins with the high expectations of most incoming sixth graders looking forward to being the top of the food chain at an El Paso elementary school. Chela Gonzalez soon finds her friends leaving her behind in shallow pursuit of popularity. After her loving “Apá” (father) is rushed to the hospital, her mother’s mother moves in to help and the air becomes thick with “the smell of old lady perfume, dying flowers and alcohol.”
I normally shy away from anything that includes “bittersweet” in the promotional description, particularly when it concerns the fate of a “daddy’s girl” and her father, but I found the middle school struggles (and personal triumph) faced by Chela endearing, particularly as a fellow nerd who was continuously put off by the “tween girl hierarchy.” Although she now resides in Chicago, Martinez hasn’t lost her connection and passion for her border roots, which I hope to see continued in her future works.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

Young Reader’s Picture Books:

“Little Zizi” by Thierry Lenain with illustrations by Stéphanie Poulin. Translated from French by New Mexico photographer Daniel Zolinsky. (Cinco Puntos Press). It doesn’t seem like a ten-year-old reprinted book by a French author and Canadian illustrator would hold any significance to the border region, but it’s a testament to Cinco Puntos ever-expanding diversity of subject and style. An adolescent Martin becomes the point of ridicule when he is accidentally caught with his pants down....and the reader meets the “zizi” in question. For an unsuspecting parent, this book may come to a bit of a shock with its lovingly illustrated, yet brief look at the “zizi,” as well as some rather humorous depictions of distance peeing practice. With the seemingly uncomfortable nature of the story, I wouldn’t personally read this to my five-year-old daughter who thankfully lacks “zizi” issues, but for parents of young boys everywhere who face a sympathetic dilemma, it’s a good way to teach them early that love comes the heart, not from the pants.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

“Border” by Leon Metz. Reprint release in paperback by TCU Press. War, nature, diplomacy and even surveying mistakes all played a major role in the nearly 2,000-mile long border separating the United States and Mexico. El Paso historian Metz tells the story spanning nearly two centuries i over 400 pages in what may well be his finest work.
-- Randy Limbird

King of the Road: Adventures Along New Mexico’s Friendly Byways by Lesley S. King (New Mexico Magazine). This sturdy little book is not so much a guide, but one woman’s narrative on her encounters with some of the state’s scenic points of interest. No real surprises in the regional findings -- Christmas on the Pecos, The Lodge in Cloudcroft, Double Eagle in Old Mesilla, Lake Roberts near Silver City, among others -- but the conversation with some of the friendly locals makes this book a stand-out. In conversation with Lodge bartender (and former Californian) Greg Stoner, Stoner says “My dad told me it would take me a couple of years before I learned how to mosey.” Includes a brief reference of her recommended lodging and dining and, in some cases, reading opportunities.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

The World in Pancho’s Eye by J.P.S. Brown (University of New Mexico Press). At age 77, Arizona author, and one-time El Paso reporter Brown offers a sort of “autobiographical” fiction in which the life of young protagonist Mikey mirrors his own childhood. Although set in Depression-era Arizona, area readers will relate to the hard-edged ethos of life on the U.S-Mexico border, as young Mikey witnesses the strength of his mother, the betrayal of some of the adults in his life, his own struggles with growth a self-reliability. The books title refers to the young boy’s horse and the beautiful other world that can be seen when looking into the beast’s eye. Filled with some very humorous and also very painful moments, the book ends with one satisfying and loving act on the part of Mikey’s mother.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

Field Guide to the Saints by Kate Rushford Murray with artwork by Krystyna Robbins (KRM Guides). Intended as a guide to travelers who wonder who all the saints are that they see in cathedrals and in various religious art, this book will interest anyone curious about these venerated heroes of faith. El Paso’s own artist Krystyna Robbins painted about 80 originals to illustrate the book, from Acacius (a converted Roman soldier known for carrying a crown of thorns, hence a patron saint of headache sufferers) to Wilgefortis (who prayed that God would make her so ugly that her husband-to-be would reject her). An “Object Clue List” at the back of the book reference each saint to objects associated with them and their characteristic attributes. For more information on the book, go to fieldguidetothesaints.com.

-- Randy Limbird

AbeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill and K.B. Basseches, with wood sculptures from Oaxaca by Moisés and Armando Jiménez (Cinco Puntos Press). Although the title and credits are longer than the book’s content, don’t let its simplicity fool you. This colorful little ABC book took a goodly amount of preparation, with each wooden folk animal (depicting both real and mythical beasts) carved especially for the publication, photographed by Basseches and compiled by Weill. The result is an attractive and effective way to introduce beginner reading, foreign language skills and art appreciation to kids. I even learned something new myself -- “ll,” “ch” and “rr” haven’t been recognized letters in the Spanish alphabet since 1994, but are nonetheless still used by Spanish speaker. “¿Por que?” How come I never got that memo?

-- Lisa Kay Tate
“The Confessional” by J.L. Powers (Knopf). The novel focuses on the interior lives of six teen-age boys attending a fictional counterpart of Cathedral High School in El Paso, nearly a year after a terrorist attack on a border bridge that has fueled anti-Mexican feelings.
An Anglo student is mysteriously slain shortly after his vicious beating of a Hispanic classmate. In the chaotic aftermath, each of the novel’s characters examines his own life and the lives of their friends, with everyone suddenly suspect -- if not of the murder itself, perhaps in some way as an accomplice.
In her debut novel, Powers successfully takes the readers into the hearts and minds of these six narrators. While the story is a whodunit, the propelling elements of the story are the contrasting characters and the different ways they express teen-age angst.
The novel is billed as “young adult” fiction, although parents and teachers might be taken aback by the harsh language throughout the book. So don’t look for it on any required reading lists, particularly at Cathedral High.
Teens themselves, however, will find plenty to identify with. So will any El Pasoan who enjoys a story saturated by border culture and local landmarks.
Powers’ writing should not be unfamiliar to long-time Scene readers -- Jessica wrote several feature stories for the Scene a few years ago. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in African History at Stanford University.

-- Randy Limbird

“Beating the Devil” by W. C. Jameson. (University of New Mexico Press). Jameson has been a songwriter, editor and non-fiction author for several years, but “Devil” is his first stab at fiction. A young El Paso -area man named Carlos, disillusioned and embittered with his childhood in the United States, crosses to Mexico for a more genuine existence. What he finds is the stark reality of blurred lines between good and evil as he joins a band of guerilla vigilantes battling to reclaim their land against a the land-grabbing hacendado Joaquin Mueller and his henchmen. He befriends an ill-fated dwarf, El Enano, and guerilla leader Chávez in a quest for vengeance against Mueller, learning about the complexities of a country marked by everything from unimaginable violence to unconditional loyalty.
Jameson’s narrative reads like an oncoming storm, filled will a sense of overwhelming darkness, and a few bright spots, followed by violent bursts of intense rage and finally a quiet, and somewhat unsettling, calm.
Unfortunately, like life, this book comes not to a satisfying, tidy conclusion, but rather a look back with mix of both nostalgia and regret in a land, Carlos refers to as one of “poverty and passion, of repression and conflict, of celebration and mourning, of mystery and magic...of death and rebirth.”

— Lisa Kay Tate

“El Paso in Pictures” by Frank Mangan (TCU Press). Originally published in 1971, El Paso in Pictures served as the definitive pictorial album of the Sun City, spanning nearly 100 years of photography. TCU Press has reissued the book, which now is entirely a historical collection rather than an up-to-the-present reference. Nevertheless, the reprint will be a boon to anyone’s “border bookshelf,” featuring many photographs unavailable anywhere else.
Mangan himself has done more than nearly anyone else to preserve and promote the history of the El Paso region. He and his wife Judy owned Mangan Books for years, publishing many of Leon Metz’s works of El Paso history, and also Frank’s own books, among others.
“El Paso in Pictures” begins with woodcuts and drawings illustrating the first European expeditions into the Pass of the North, then skipping forward quickly to the era of the railroads and El Paso’s rapid growth. The days of the gunfighters, the Mexican Revolution that took place in plain view of El Paso’s balconies, the development of downtown, UTEP and residential neighborhoods are all faithfully recorded through photos and accompanying text.
The final chapter is a snapshot of El Paso as it entered the 1970s. Much has happened in the generation since, but an update bridging the book’s content to the 21st century remains a task for another day.
— Randy Limbird

“The Face of Pancho Villa: A History in Photographs and Words” by Friedrich Katz (Cinco Puntos Press). This is another good choice for those who prefer their history well illustrated. El Paso’s own Cinco Puntos Press has published an English-language version of “Imagenes de Pancho Villa” first published in 1999.
The book’s 80 pages include 20 pages of text by Katz, professor emeritus of Latin American History at the University of Chicago, and 42 archival photographs, selected from the archives of the Casasola Collection owned by the Mexican government. The Mexican Revolution was the world’s first major conflict to be recorded so freely by camera.
This book is the third offering in Cinco Puntos’ Mexican Revolution Collection, which also features David Romo’s “Ringside Seat to a Revolution” and Elena Poniatowska’s “Las Soldaderas.”
— Randy Limbird

“The Long Journey of Mister Poop/El Gran Viaje del Señor Caca” by Angéle Delaunois and Marie LaFrance (Cinco Puntos Press). At last, a bilingual companion to the popular children’s picture book “Everybody Poops.” All kidding aside, this kid-friendly journey through the digestive system is actually a pretty practical little item dotted with several little pieces of science knowledge and simple diagrams of parts of the body in both English and Spanish. It works on several levels: kids can get their mischievous chuckles reading about an apple slipping through the body on its way to the “final exit,” basic anatomy and physiology can be discovered, and simple Spanish (or English) skills can be strengthened. LaFrance’s illustrations are both endearing and rather nauseating, but on this level, they work. I’m not exactly sure how the Lobo doctor factors in, or if seeing a little pair or legs sticking out of beret-clad piece of feces will cause some permanent emotional damage to a potty training toddler, but this book doesn’t stink (no pun intended). I’m just glad the authors had the good taste to demonstrate with an apple instead of corn.
— Lisa Kay Tate

“There’s A Yak in my Bed” by K. Pluta with illustrations by Christy Stallop (Blooming Tree Press). El Paso native Christy Stallop offers her endearing artwork to the tale of a young boy trying to coax a stubborn yak out of his bed, that eventually leads to the large animal following him to breakfast and school. Poking fun at adults’ inability to see the extraordinary in life, no matter how “in their face” it is, this playful and silly book is as much fun for parents to read to their children as it is for beginning readers to romp through on their own.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

“Latina Mistress” by R.F. Sanchez (Floricanto Press). Veteran sportswriter Ray Sanchez’s first novel since “The Gods of Racing” in the early 1980s, is a tale of a young family spanning nations, cultures and generations. Although Sanchez is admired by El Paso readers for his sports columns that have appeared in a variety of local publications, he is also a surprisingly gifted storyteller who can paint vivid and familiar pictures of the border culture. Those who think they are familiar with his style will be surprised by his very serious handling of such issues as bigotry, cross-cultural marriage and sexual matters. Filled with local references from landmarks to favorite restaurants, the novel proves that Sanchez’s writing talents span more than a love for UTEP and the Dallas Cowboys and encompass a unique (and often melancholy) nature of the area.

“Antonio’s Gun and Delfino’s Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration,” by Sam Quinones (University of New Mexico Press). Quinones, a freelance journalist, has spent more than 10 years traveling among Mexico’s rural towns and villages where migration affects everyday life. Although his nonjudgmental observations and stories come from all along the Mexico-U.S. Border, as well as from Mexico City to Kansas, there is plenty of familiar territory for El Paso readers. such as a look at the “Old Colony” Mennonites, and a melancholy story of Juarez velvet painter Chuy Morán and his El Paso counterpart Doyle Harden. Quinones’s writings are similar to adventure traveling, sharing experiences that are not always pleasurable but often unforgettable.

“The Desert Remembers My Name: On Family and Writing” by Kathleen Alcalá, (University of Arizona Press). Known for her Southwest novels and short stories, Alcalá’s first nonfiction endeavor blends her life’s memoirs with a subtle creative writing lesson. With many of the essays previously published in various journals, newsletters and other publications, the subject matter is as varied as one’s own memories, ranging from bilingualism and literacy to spiritual matters. Her writing is both comforting and comfortable, and is by no means geared towards writers or writing students. Her writing observations just naturally fall into her life’s history and passion. As she describes in her essay “A Woman Called Concha,” “I want my writing to insinuate itself into the subconscious of the people of the Southwest, so that we might remember who we were and who we will be... I feel as strongly about this as any fanatic. This is my job.” Well done, indeed.

Teen:

“The Line Between” by Kelsie Nygren. (The Benchmark Group LLC). Part of a Young Writers Series of books penned for teens by teens, 16-year-old La Union area high school student’s fantasy offering is slim but very readable. The story is of a young 21st century warrior, Jo Whitaker, who belongs to Rytra Organization to Defeat Darkness (RODD). Gifted with the power to control the elements of light to fight evil, she also possesses a strong, fiery personality worthy of any modern teen’s approval. Those with an overly-critical eye will find many standard “beginning writer mistakes” such as some rushed conclusions, but Nygren’s offering to this series released in March holds its own with the other young authors’ contributions to the series, and has been getting enthusiastic response from teens, the book’s intended readers. With one book under her belt, and the encouragement from peers to keep going, Nygren’s has plenty of motivation to keep up her writing pursuit.

Children:

“The Bee Tree” by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustrated by Paul Mirocha. El Paso’s Cinco Puntos Press offers this beautifully illustrated book inspired by Pak Ten, the leader of a honey hunting clan in Malaysia. The book tells the legend and traditions of this fascinating ritual of collecting honey from towering tualang trees. A bit wordy for some younger readers, this ecology and anthropology-minded book is a good choice for reading to (or with) your kids. What appealed to me more than the story itself was the textbook style information on Malaysia, the rainforest and the honey hunters themselves that follows the main story; a nice feature that will encourage children to keep this “sweet” read around even after they’ve outgrown most picture books.

-- Lisa Kay Tate

July 2009

Keep on Bookin'

Keep on Bookin'

New on the Border Book Shelf

New on the Border Book Shelf

New on the Border Book Shelf

El Paso Scene MONTHLY
This month's listings,
stories and columns

July 2009

Keep on Bookin'

Keep on Bookin'

New on the Border Book Shelf

New on the Border Book Shelf

New on the Border Book Shelf

El Paso Scene MONTHLY This month's listings, stories and columns

El Paso Scene MONTHLY
This month's listings,
stories and columns