Celebrating a Man of Many Lives

The Many Lives of Andrew Young  Ernie Suggs NewSouth Books, ISBN: 978-1-58838-474-4  U.S. Ambassador Andrew J. Young’s high-profile career in public service is not quickly nor easily summed up. Nonetheless, The Many Lives of Andrew Young, by Atlanta writer Ernie Suggs, has delivered an important, celebratory touchstone while preparations are underway to celebrate Andrew Young’s 90th … Continue reading Celebrating a Man of Many Lives

Eight recent books of fiction, nonfiction & poetry – #bookreview

Here are eight recent books to consider, whether you prefer fiction, nonfiction or poetry.   Midnight Movie By Tobe Hooper, with Alan Goldsher (Three Rivers, paperback, list price $14.00 ; Kindle edition $0.99)  Fans of Tobe Hooper’s horror movies, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, likely will relish this experimental first novel. It is written in a … Continue reading Eight recent books of fiction, nonfiction & poetry – #bookreview

Fante: A Family’s Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving – #bookreview #writing #screenwriting

Fante: A Family’s Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving By Dan Fante (Harper Perennial, $14.99, paperback; $9.99, Kindle) Italian-American novelist and screenwriter John Fante wanted his son Dan to become a plumber or electrician, not a writer or worse, an actor. He had strong and bitter reasons behind that desire, as Dan Fante movingly notes … Continue reading Fante: A Family’s Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving – #bookreview #writing #screenwriting

Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity – #bookreview

Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity By Glen Sample Ely (Texas Tech University Press, $34.95, hardback) Many eyes are on Texas once again now that Gov. Rick Perry is running for President. Of course, he’s now being slammed even by members of  his own party (including former officials in the George W. Bush Administration) for trying … Continue reading Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity – #bookreview

Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity – #bookreview

Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity By Glen Sample Ely (Texas Tech University Press, $34.95, hardback) Many eyes are on Texas once again now that Gov. Rick Perry is running for President. Of course, he’s now being slammed even by members of  his own party (including former officials in the George W. Bush Administration) for trying … Continue reading Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity – #bookreview

Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War – #bookreview

Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War By Keagan LeJeune (University of North Texas Press, $29.95, hardback) The 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled America’s size. It also left  one small border area in legal limbo. When the United States and Spain disagreed over who owned it, they pulled back their militias to avoid war and left … Continue reading Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War – #bookreview

Lucky Me: My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball – #bookreview

Lucky Me: My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball By Eddie Robinson, with C. Paul Rogers III (SMU Press, $23.95) Eddie Robinson has never been one of Major League Baseball’s headline-hungry bad boys. A four-time American League All-Star and former general manager of the Texas Rangers, Robinson is still considered one of professional baseball’s true good guys, … Continue reading Lucky Me: My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball – #bookreview

Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger

  Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger Chuck Parsons (University of North Texas Press, $29.95)  John R. Hughes is often considered one of the Texas Rangers’ “Four Great Captains,” alongside William Jesse McDonald, James A. Brooks and John H. Rogers. (Chuck Norris, as Walker, Texas Ranger, figures nowhere in this equation.) Before Hughes became a Ranger … Continue reading Captain John R. Hughes: Lone Star Ranger