“I’ve been thinking a lot about Cadillac Desert in the past few weeks, as the rain fell and fell and kept falling over California, much of which, despite the pouring heavens, seems likely to remain in the grip of a severe drought. Reisner anticipated this moment. He worried that the West’s success with irrigation could be a mirage — that it took water for granted and didn’t appreciate the precariousness of our capacity to control it.” – Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times, January 20,2023 "The definitive work on the West's water crisis." --Newsweek The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecological and economic disaster. In his landmark book, Cadillac Desert, Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West. Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an Eden--an Eden that may only be a mirage. This edition includes a new postscript by Lawrie Mott, a former staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, that updates Western water issues over the last two decades, including the long-term impact of climate change and how the region can prepare for the future.
“Here is a life story so unbelievable, it could only be true.” —Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street From bestselling author of the remarkable memoir The Distance Between Us comes an inspiring account of one woman’s quest to find her place in America as a first-generation Latina university student and aspiring writer determined to build a new life for her family one fearless word at a time. As an immigrant in an unfamiliar country, with an indifferent mother and abusive father, Reyna had few resources at her disposal. Taking refuge in words, Reyna’s love of reading and writing propels her to rise above until she achieves the impossible and is accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz. Although her acceptance is a triumph, the actual experience of American college life is intimidating and unfamiliar for someone like Reyna, who is now estranged from her family and support system. Again, she finds solace in words, holding fast to her vision of becoming a writer, only to discover she knows nothing about what it takes to make a career out of a dream. Through it all, Reyna is determined to make the impossible possible, going from undocumented immigrant of little means to “a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer” (Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild); a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist whose “power is growing with every book” (Luis Alberto Urrea, Pultizer Prize finalist); and a proud mother of two beautiful children who will never have to know the pain of poverty and neglect. Told in Reyna’s exquisite, heartfelt prose, A Dream Called Home demonstrates how, by daring to pursue her dreams, Reyna was able to build the one thing she had always longed for: a home that would endure.
Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+! Navajo Tribal cops Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito, and their mentor, the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, investigate two perplexing cases in this exciting Southwestern mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Spider Woman’s Daughter. Doing a good deed for a relative offers the perfect opportunity for Sergeant Jim Chee and his wife, Officer Bernie Manuelito, to get away from the daily grind of police work. But two cases will call them back from their short vacation and separate them—one near Shiprock, and the other at iconic Monument Valley. Chee follows a series of seemingly random and cryptic clues that lead to a missing woman, a coldblooded suspect, and a mysterious mound of dirt and rocks that could be a gravesite. Bernie has her hands full managing the fallout from a drug bust gone wrong, uncovering the origins of a fire in the middle of nowhere, and looking into an ambitious solar energy development with long-ranging consequences for Navajo land. Under the guidance of their mentor, retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Bernie and Chee will navigate unexpected obstacles and confront the greatest challenge yet to their skills, commitment, and courage.
Renowned historian of the American West, Frederick Nolan, author of "The West of Billy the Kid" and "The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, " noted that with the publication of this new book Maddox has "written a whole new chapter in outlaw history." -- During the first week of May 1881 the "Santa Fe New Mexican" carried two reward notices from Governor Lew Wallace. One was for $500 for William Bonney, "alias The Kid" and directly below that was another reward notice for $2250 for Ike Stockton and his gang. Like Billy the Kid, Ike had a price of $500 on his head. Compared to the Kid, few have ever heard of Ike Stockton. Fewer still have heard of his older brother, Porter. Yet it was Porter Stockton who was by far the most dangerous and deadly of the brothers. In March 1881 the "Las Vegas (New Mexico) Optic" described Porter Stockton as "one of the most hardened murderers and desperadoes that ever darkened the pages of history and annals of crime." Countless hours of research over a period of six years have resulted in this thorough and entertaining account of the turmoil caused by the Stockton brothers. From cattle kings to cowboys, from cow towns to hell on wheels railroad camps and from shootouts to lynchings, their story encompasses all of the legends of the mythic American West. Take hold of this book like you would the reins of a skittish horse, find the sweet spot in the saddle, or better yet your easy chair, and settle in for a hell of a ride. NOTE: Non-fiction, softcover, 530 pages. This book includes a bibliography, endnotes and an index. It contains black and white illustrations, photos and maps. EXCERPT: Driving cattle across large stretches of the arid portions of Texas and New Mexico, through territory inhabited by free roaming and combative Indians required men who would never back down from any challenge. Even Oliver Loving lost his life as the result of an Indian bullet received while hunkered down in the mud of the Pecos River. Inevitably, some of the herders stepped over the line and became desperadoes. One of the tempests coming out of Texas would brew and build around Stephenville before moving west and north along with the suffocating dust cloud stirred up by the hooves of thousands of Texas cattle. Erath County residents would figure prominently as the storm regained strength in Colfax County, New Mexico. The same Erathians would be present when the storm grew to reach its cyclonic and climactic outburst in the San Juan country of New Mexico and Colorado. Porter and Ike Stockton were at the epicenter of this final blast. SUBJECTS: The Allison Gang, Charles Allison, Clay Allison, Amargo (NM), Animas City (CO), Aztec (NM), Billy the Kid, Moses Blancett, Jimmy Catron, Chama (NM), Cimarron (NM), Frank and George Coe, L.G. Coleman, Colfax County (NM), Hiram Washington Cox and family, Col. Robert Crofton, Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Durango (CO), Robert Dwyer, Erath County (TX), Dison and Hargo Eskridge, Farmington (NM), Fort Lewis (CO), Max Frost, "Bud" Galbreath, Jim Garrett, Henry Goodman, Charles Goodnight, Alf Graves, William B. Haines, Gus (Heffron) Hefferman, James Heffernan, John Hittson, Doc Holliday, Big Dan Howland, Hurricane Bill, Charles Adam Jones, La Plata County (CO), La Plata valley, Irvin W. Lacy, La Sal Mountains (UT), Marion Littrell, George Lockhart, George W. Morrison, Tom Nance, Navajo Indians, Tony Neis, David Ogsbury, Otero (NM), Palo Pinto County (TX), Parrott City (CO), Pinhook valley Indian fight, Gov. Frederick W. Pitkin, Al and Austin Puett, Flora Pyle, Rico (CO), San Juan County (CO), San Juan County (NM), Silverton (CO), Stephenville (TX), Samuel Stockton, Jim Sullivan, Kid Thomas, George W. Thompson, Thompson and Lacy (LC) cattle outfit, Trinidad (CO), Ute Indians, Vermejo River valley (NM), Gov. Lew Wallace, Barney Watson, Bert Wilkinson, "One-armed" Billy Wilson.
