Senior News: July 2007

For those who missed it or weren't able to pick up a copy of the Senior News, below is my column from the July 2007 edition of the newspaper.


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Texas In Her Own Words
By Tweed Scott
Redbud Publishing
ISBN # 0-9720293-7-0


As Texans we know we are unique and citizens of the greatest state ever to join the Union. It isn’t bragging when it’s the plain truth. That spirit fills the pages of this book through interviews, photos and essays. With an entertaining forward by Kinky Friedman (no one may write a better forward than Kinky) to the author’s summation aptly titled, “End of the Trail” this book is filled with what makes Texas great. Darrell Royal, Willie Nelson and others at all walks of life contribute their thoughts and observations on Texas and Texans. If that wasn’t enough, there are the numerous pictures, a suggested reading list, and other treats that all combine to make this one for the bookshelves.



Ringside Seat To A Revolution: An Underground Cultural History Of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923
By David Dorado Rome
Cinco Puntos Press
ISBN# 0-938317-91-1

With a title as complex as this one the reader has to know this nonfiction book will not be an easy read. It isn’t and yet though it does come across as a college textbook throughout, this book is a fascinating look at an area of history often ignored. What began as a book intended to chart the history of Pancho Villa morphed into a book about the cultural changes in El Paso and Juarez and a Mexican Revolution. The book details the major and minor players on both sides of the border. The work pays significant attention to the “fronterizos” the border residents who are neither totally Mexican nor American and still have their own culture and way of life despite the obstacles the border has become today. Their actions have shaped both cities and the author convincingly makes a case for their impact. The author notes that history in the United States is often told through the lens of a black perspective or a white perspective and he seeks to add the Hispanic or brown perspective to the record. He does so through text, numerous period photographs and drawings, a detailed and extensive acknowledgements section and an index. It ultimately results in an engrossing 293 page book. The author offers readers a fascinating insight into an important historical period which continues to influence both nations today.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2007