September is here!

The calendar has turned and football for real is finally happening again. September is here with the promise of cooler weather sometime soon. It also means that the September edition of Senior News featuring my reviews of "Jasmine's Fate" by Randy Rawls and "Crosshairs" by Harry Hunsicker is now scattered across the great state of Texas. Until you can pick up the new edition, enjoy this look back at the August 2007 edition of the newspaper for those of you who missed it.


The Worst Hard time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl
By Timothy Egan
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN# 0-618-34697-X

Drought is a well know commodity in the plains and the west and it has happened before. The most famous, of course, is the Dust Bowl of the 30's. In his book, Mr. Egan follows a number of families through the Dust Bowl years as well as looking at the conditions that made it all inevitable. Most of the 340 page book follows events and people in Texas and details how those involved weren't always the best stewards of the land. By going deep into the lives of those he covers, he brings them alive in the way no text book on the subject could. The result is an excellent read that also should serve as a lesson as to what so could easily happen again.


“Michener’s The Name”
By Robert Vavra
The University Press of Colorado
ISBN # 0870818562

Chronicling the behind the scenes of the legendary author’s writing career from 1961-1996 through pictures, the author showcases the private side of the man. Through black and white photographs, readers see the research with the bulls in Spain, Michener walking in areas of the South Pacific, the legendary Orson Wells, and many others. Along with public images are private moments such as relaxing on his bed in a t-shirt and briefs reading the paper. Not only are there small meaningful comments with the almost always striking photographs, there is the text that fills the back half of the book composed of letters written by James Michener as well as more anecdotes written by the author. At 208 pages this excellent coffee table style book chronicles a legend and is clearly a work of love and friendship.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2007