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Spotlight on Texas is a biannual cassette publication announcing
the latest audio books produced by volunteers at the Talking Book
Program Volunteer Recording Studio in Austin and at the Recording
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Midland. The
audio version of "Spotlight on Texas" is distributed on
request to Texans with disabilities who are registered to receive
the Talking Book Program's free library service.
Since 1978, Talking Book volunteers have recorded thousands of
fiction and nonfiction titles by Texas authors or about the history,
culture, and people of the Lone Star state. Titles recorded include
biographies, histories, westerns, romances, mysteries, self-help,
and travel. More than ten new books are completed each month, offering
an increasing variety of Texas topics from which to choose. In addition,
volunteers record three Texas magazines: Texas Monthly, Texas Parks
& Wildlife, and Texas Highways.
If you would like to receive an audio cassette copy of "Spotlight
on Texas," please contact the Talking Book Program through
the phone numbers, e-mail address, postal address, or fax number
listed at the bottom of this
page.
To order any of the books listed below, note the titles and CT
book numbers you would like to request. Then call a Reader Consultant
toll-free in Texas at 1-800-252-9605 or, in Austin, at 512-463-5458.
A voicemail message service is available after hours and on weekends
for you to leave book requests or other messages. Say your full
name and patron number (if known) clearly when leaving messages
and give the CT book number and title for each request. Book orders
may also be sent in an e-mail message to: tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us.
Note the titles and book numbers you would like to request, then
call us at any time with your order.
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Fiction
BRIDE FIRE
CT 6207
By ELIZABETH CHADWICK, Narrated by NICOLE SCALARO, 3 cassettes.
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Whitney survives the Comanche raid
that killed he father as they traveled across Texas in the year
1844. Alex Harte, the leader of a band of rugged mustangers who
find her, cannot bring himself to leave her to die in the wilderness.
As untamed as the prairie he roams capturing wild horses to sell,
Alex has no place in his life for a woman. But he cannot deny the
sparks that flare between him and the woman who owes her life to
him. This book contains explicit descriptions of sex, some profanity
and violence.
BRIGHT ARROWS
CT 6784
By GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL, Narrated by CINDY JOHNSON, 2 cassettes.
Left alone after her beloved father's death, lovely young Eden Thurston
struggles to hold her life and faith together. Then she receives
help from two unexpected sources: letters left to her by her father
that were written by her mother when Eden was just a child, and
a handsome young lawyer who comes to help her settle her father's
estate. The letters give Eden the loving and wise counsel she so
urgently needs, helping her overcome difficulty and danger at the
hands of deceitful men and scheming relatives. And the young lawyer
helps her discover a new dimension of faith - and love.
CARELESS WEEDS: SIX TEXAS NOVELLAS
CT 5708
By TOM PILKINGTON, Narrated by ELIZABETH OTT, 2 cassettes.
Part of the editor's intent in selecting these novellas was to provide
a chronicle of culture and society in Texas. The result is a variety
of characters and settings, and themes ranging from adolescent bonds
to the devastating efects of war on a family. These novellas illustrate
the strengths and weaknesses of the human spirit, in a chronological
and somewhat topographical journey across Texas. This book contains
explicit descriptions of sex, profanity and violence.
CIMARRON ROSE
CT 6409
By JAMES LEE BURKE, Narrated by BILL MCLEAN, 2 cassettes.
Texas ranger-turned-attorney Billy Bob Holland agrees to defend
teenager Lucas Smothers, who was found unconscious at the murder
scene of a female acquaintance and arrested for the crime. Holland
has a compelling reason to take the case--Smothers is his illegitimate
son. This book contains some explicit descriptions of sex, profanity
and violence.
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CYCLING: A NOVEL
CT 6778
By GREG GARRETT, Narrated by DIANNA DORMAN, 2 cassettes.
Brad Cannon is a wealthy, college-educated, 30-year-old Texan whose
parents and younger brother were killed in a highway accident when
he was still a teen. A few years later, his girlfriend was abducted
and murdered. Despite the horror, Brad carries on - he goes to college
and graduate school and even writes a successful book about the
Civil War. But Brad has slipped into a holding pattern that includes
very little other than a daily bicycle ride. When one of his buddies
dies, Brad inherits his dog, Audrey. This minor change in his life
is the snowflake that starts an avalanche, and at last Brad is propelled
out of his holding pattern and back into life.
DAVE'S TUNE: A NOVEL
CT 5727
By JUNE RAYFIELD WELCH, Narrated by THERESE EAST, 2 cassettes.
The adventures of a teen-age boy growing up in a small town in Texas,
in the summer of '44. This book contains some profanity.
DEAD DOG BLUES
CT 5717
By NEAL BARRETT, Narrated by CHRIS HUNNELL, 2 cassettes.
Austin writer Barrett is an acute observer of small-town ways. Here,
his protagonist returns home to Pharoah, Texas after a checkered
14-year career. As town constable, he soon finds that small-town
animosities, rivalries, and romances still simmer from his school
days. A series of macabre killings proceed to really stir things
up. This book contains some sex, profanity and violence.
DEATH ASSEMBLAGE: A FRANKIE MACFARLANE MYSTERY #1
CT 6779
By SUSAN CUMMINS MILLER, Narrated by NYELA BASNEY, 2 cassettes.
The mountains west of Pair-a-Dice, Nevada, hold mysteries geological,
historical, and personal. Geologist Frankie MacFarlane has mapped
the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the range for the
past three summers. In the final week of her dissertation fieldwork,
she searches for an elusive final key to her research: a limestone
marker bed - a death assemblage of fossil ammonoids - hidden by
dangerous, shifting talus. But as Frankie strives to piece together
her geologic jigsaw puzzle, the denizens of Pair-a-Dice, her base
of operations, embroil her in a web of ancient and recent murders,
a manhunt, kidnappings, and blackmail. This book contains some violence.
DEATH OF AN EVANGELISTA: A TEXANA JONES MYSTERY #3
CT 6771
By ALLANA MARTIN, Narrated by LINDA FOX, 2 cassettes.
When trading post owner Texana Jones discovers the body of a dead
man in a Mexican taxi, she barely escapes becoming a scapegoat for
corrupt federales. Unfortunately, the innocent cab driver is left
to take the fall and Texana becomes a pariah among the locals back
home in Presidio. Than another body, that of an American woman and
self-appointed missionary, is found, leading Texana deeper into
the kinds of secrets that life in the desert hides well - and the
dark places of the human heart where the borderline between good
and evil is easy to cross. This book contains some violence.
DEATH OF A MYTH MAKER: A TEXANA JONES MYSTERY #4
CT 6791
By ALLANA MARTIN, Narrated by PAT COLEMAN, 2 cassettes.
The murder of a Mexican photographer is dismissed as just the violence
of the border. Yet Texana is drawn into the case and wonders about
its connection to another crime: the shooting death of a "myth maker,"
a confidence trickster who'd been wooing Ella Spivey, one of the
sisters of the powerful Seven Sisters Ranch. The victim, Julian
Row, left a trail of enemies, and a local artist has been arrested.
But Texana, with her innate understanding of "la frontera" culture
- life on the border - discovers the truth is as unforgiving as
the desert itself. This book contains some profanity.
DEATH OF THE LAST VILLISTA: A TEXANA JONES MYSTERY #5
CT 6772
By ALLANA MARTIN, Narrated by DENISE JOHNSON, 2 cassettes.
In 1961, a Hollywood movie company came to tiny Polvo, Texas, to
film a movie about Pancho Villa. However, the film was dogged with
trouble, not least of which was a man found murdered on an island
in the middle of the Rio Grande, and the case was never solved.
Now, forty years later, trading-post owner Texana Jones is hosting
a video crew shooting a special celebrating the film's anniversary.
Most of the townspeople are excited by this event, but some want
nothing to do with the project. On the day the townspeople gather
to meet the actors the RV belonging to actor Dane Anthony catches
fire and explodes. Is it an accident or arson?
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FANTASMAS: SUPERNATURAL STORIES BY MEXICAN AMERICAN WRITERS
CT 6775
Edited by Rob Johnson, Narrated by SUE BILICH, 2 cassettes.
In Mexico, "cuentos de fantasma" are a popular form of literature
that combines fantasy, folktales, and pulp fiction. "Fantasmas"
is the first collection of such stories written by Mexican American
writers and features nineteen new stories by well-known and emerging
authors. This book contains some profanity and violence.
FLAT CRAZY: A BLANCO COUNTY MYSTERY #3
CT 6773
By BEN REHDER, Narrated by DICK COLLINS, 3 cassettes.
Some kind of unidentified wild creature is on the loose in Blanco,
and over the protests of sensible game warden John Marlin, the locals
have convinced themselves they're dealing with a mythical vampirish
beast called a "chupacabra." And it doesn't help Marlin's cause
when a dead body turns up with a suspicious fang-like wound in its
neck. Then things get really out of hand: Tabloid news crews invade
Blanco, good 'ol boys Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock develop
a cockamamie get-rich-quick scheme involving the animal, and everyone
is a little surprised at the booming population of voluptuous Chinese
dwarves who've turned up in town. This book contains some profanity
and violence.
GROWING UP LATINO: MEMOIRS AND STORIES
CT 5730
By HAROLD AUGENBRAUM, Narrated by JULIE SHUEY, 3 cassettes.
This comprehensive anthology collects both classic and recent Latino
writing in English--both fiction and non-fiction. Featuring memoirs
and stories that are sometimes shocking, often funny and always
stirring, this diverse collection shatters the myth of a singular
U.S.-Latino experience and proves the existence of a rich Latino
tradition of letters. Contains strong language. This book contains
some profanity.
HANGMAN'S ROOT: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY #3
CT 5716
By SUSAN WITTIG ALBERT, Narrated by STACI FINCH, 2 cassettes.
Fur flies in Pecan springs, Texas, as lawyer-turned-herbalist China
Bayles finds herself involved in an animal rights dispute. When
biology professor Miles Hardwick is found murdered, everyone suspects
his hated neighbor and animal rights activist, Dottie Riddle. But
did Dottie's concern for stray cats push her to murder Hardwick
over his department's animal experimentation? This book contains
some sex and profanity.
HANK THE COWDOG: THE CASE OF THE DUNGEON OF DOOM #44
CT 6785
By JOHN R.ERICKSON, Narrated by DOROTHY BLAIR, 1 cassette.
As Head of Ranch Security, Hank knows that it's his job to clear
the ranch of all intruders - and that includes gophers. But when
Hank's efforts to rid the yard of one such critter causes a stampede
in the middle of the cattle roundup, Loper decides that he just
can't take it any more. He wants Hank to learn some manners, so
he's sending him to Obedience School. How will Hank ever survive?
HIGH PLACES
CT 5741
By STEPHEN BRANSFORD, Narrated by JANICE LATHIN, 3 cassettes.
A determined young woman battles cosmic forces of evil in this apocalyptic
novel of faith and salvation. The action sprawls globally, stretching
from the Rio Grande Valley to the Middle East, where Dr. Simon Grace,
a prominent televangelist, has mysteriously disappeared. When Dr.
Grace's son and daughter attempt to rescue their father, they are
swept into a dangerous, desperate international mission in this
adventure tale that offers insight into spiritual reality and the
power of prayer. This book contains some violence.
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JOURNEY OF HECTOR RABINAL
CT 5710
By DONLEY WATT, Narrated by DANI MACFARLANE, 1 cassette.
Tragic in events, this first novel affirms the strength of the human
spirit. Part terrified flight, part naively hopeful quest, the journey
taken by Guatemalan protagonist Hector leads him to a strange, bright
America and back to a mortally wounded home. Hector's story reveals
the harshness and unexpected comforts found by illegals, and the
exploitation and kindness they experience. [Spanish version: "Viaje
de Hector Rabinal" CT 05711.] This book contains some sex, profanity
and violence.
LAST KLICK: A NOVEL
CT 5703
By ROBERT FLYNN, Narrated by SERGIO VILLARREAL, 3 cassettes.
A provocative book that addresses a number of complex subjects--death,
war, media manipulation, and the concept of celebrity. A writer
and college professor finds no comfort in his life or work until
he gets a job reporting in Vietnam for a rightwing men's magazine.
There, in a fierce firefight, a desperate act makes him the news
rather than the reporter. His struggle to discover and preserve
his true character is compelling. This book contains some profanity
and violence.
MANHUNT
CT 5732
By WAYNE BARTON, Narrated by EV LUNNING, 2 cassettes.
Riding into Willow Springs, Texas, Jefferson Davis King trails a
horse behind him, a gift for his friend C.D.Hollis. But Sheriff
Hollis had been killed weeks earlier. The gunman is unknown but
the suspects include the town's cunning judge, the hotheaded new
sheriff, and rancher Dallas Castleberry, a man as tough as the longhorns
he raises. When a loose-lipped gravedigger tells all he knows, Jeff
King sets off on a manhunt as unexpected as it is dangerous. This
book contains some profanity.
MUSTANG ANNIE
CT 6790
By RACHELLE MORGAN, Narrated by CHARLES WATSON, 2 cassettes.
After Annie Harper's world shattered four years ago, taming horses
became her salvation. But when Brett Corrigan hires her to capture
the wild mustang that's stealing his mares, Annie's passion is ignited
by the masterful rancher, sweeping through her life like wildfire.
Brett's wagered his lifetime dreams on the ranch he won with the
turn of the card, and he's not about to let his craving for Annie
get in his way. This book contains some sex; some profanity; some
violence
MY SISTER GONE
CT 5735
By KATHRYN MARSHALL, Narrated by MARY JANE PRALL, 2 cassettes.
During the summer of 1960 in a hot Texas town, ten-year-old Helen
spends much of her time hiding from her older sister Carrie, whose
paranoia and rage against a largely male world soon reach a terrifying
yet wickedly funny breaking point. A decade later Carrie reappears
in Helen's life, and they move together toward this novel's chilling
conclusion. This realistic portrait of childhood gone awry provides
painful insight into the crippling effects of incest. This book
contains some sex, profanity and violence.
PRINCE OF A FELLOW
CT 5679
By SHELBY HEARON, Narrated by KAREN PHIPPS, 1 cassette.
Both satire and romance, this is the story of 30-year-old Avery
Krause, who does a morning radio show on the edge of the Texas Hill
Country, and is looking for her prince on a white horse. The author
clearly portrays life in the German community of Prince Solms (New
Braunfels) with wit and astringent social commentary. This book
contains explicit descriptions of sex and some profanity.
SEARCH FOR LAST CHANCE
CT 6777
By A.L.MCWILLIAMS, Narrated by JEANNE GUICHARD, 2 cassettes.
Quiet, courteous, sticky-fingered Shell Paxton is wanted in California
for armed robbery. His wife, Sally, has lured him away from this
dangerous life and from the father figure of Vic Taylor, a notorious
outlaw. They settle in a small town in Texas and start a family.
Unfortunately, bounty hunter, Jesse Watts eventually tracks down
Shell and arrests him. Sally engineers a daring escape, and they
are soon on the run. Shell meets up with Vic again and in spite
of Sally's pleading, falls back into outlawry. Shell hopes that
finding the lost Last Chance gold will give him and Sally a new
start.
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STONE BRUISE
CT 5702
By JAMES C.MCCORMICK, Narrated by JOHN COFFMAN, 3 cassettes.
This semi-autobiographical, earnest first novel offers an engaging
view of American life during the past few decades. The protagonist
rises from Depression-era poverty to vast wealth and power, yet
his life is marred by a spiritual emptiness. Ultimately, personal
tragedy and a pilgrimage guide him toward a closer relationship
with God and afford him a greater sense of inner peace.
TEXAS BOUND: NINETEEN TEXAS STORIES
CT 5707
By KAY CATTARULLA, Narrated by JEANNE GUICHARD, 2 cassettes.
These stories were selected from the "Arts and Letters Live" series
of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas Public Library. Each
story explores states of mind and terrain of the Lone Star State.
Stories included are by well-known Texas authors like Larry McMurtry
and Larry L. King, as well as less familiar writers. This book contains
some profanity.
TEXAS CAPITOL MURDERS
CT 6788
By BILL CRIDER, Narrated by JEANNE GUICHARD, 2 cassettes.
A lighthearted look behind the dignified facade of the state capitol
in Austin, Texas, where the strangled body of pretty, promiscuous
Ramona Gonzalez, one of the building's cleaners, has been found
in a basement hamper. Texas Ranger Ray Hartnett has scarcely begun
to investigate when there's a second killing. This book contains
some profanity.
TEXAS TOUGH
CT 5721
By HASCAL GILES, Narrated by EV LUNNING, 2 cassettes.
Notorious bounty hunter Wyatt Kirk has become quite a legend, known
widely as the meanest gun in Texas. Tired of all the young guns
trying to outshoot him to prove their own worth, Wyatt heads home
to the family ranch to start a new life for himself. But someone
has it in for the Kirks. Soon he must fight to save his brother
from the law and the ranch from the hands of a sworn enemy. This
book contains some profanity and violence.
THIS WAR CALLED LOVE
CT 6780
By ALEJANDRO MURGUIA, Narrated by PAUL KLEMPERER, 1 cassette.
Equal parts funny and sad, Murguia's short stories depict, with
tender and sometimes unflinching detail, love, life, and growing
up Hispanic. In the brief but powerful story "The Flower Seller,"
a child walks the streets of California, selling roses out of a
bucket in restaurants while his mother repairs clothes and his sisters
sew beads on dresses for retail stores - all of them working for
pennies. In "A Lesson in Meringue," a hilarious dance teacher teaches
a class the forbidden dance, claiming it washes away problems and
is the cheapest workout in town. This book contains some sex, profanity
and some violence.
TWENTY-THIRD DREAM
CT 5706
By KATHLYN WHITSITT EGBERT, Narrated by JEANNE GUICHARD, 2
cassettes.
When middle-aged Adam Stauffer is diagnosed with Stage IV cancer,
he and his family try to prepare for his impending death. After
a difficult period when Adam is temporarily put on a respirator,
he convinces his wife to travel with him and their three children
back to his father's Texas ranch. As Adam explains, slowly dying
feels like getting ready to go back to where you came from. At the
ranch, Adam makes peace with his memories, and his family accepts
his coming death.
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WANDERING STAR
CT 5713
By J. STEPHEN YOUNT, Narrated by ED FARRELL, 2 cassettes.
This historical novel, set in 1910 in the Panhandle town of High
Plains, revolves around Halley's comet. Many people believed that
the comet's appearance heralded the end of the world, as foretold
in the bible. Yount's novel tells how the coming of the comet divided
the town, with the original settlers on one side, and newer immigrants
on the other. This book contains some profanity.
WELCOME TO FRED
CT 6789
By BRAD WHITTINGTON, Narrated by JACK HUFF, 2 cassettes.
In this coming-of-age story set in rural Texas, eleven-year-old
Mark Cloud arrives in Fred, Texas, by way of Ohio with a large vocabulary
and a hankering for paisley, psychedelic posters and the works of
artist Peter Max. He soon finds that being a Baptist preacher's
kid in a hick Texas town in the 1960s leaves a lot to be desired.
As Mark struggles to find his identity, he also questions the faith
he's grown up with and must make his own. This story is the slow
unfolding of a slice of one boy's adolescence.
WHERE TWO WAYS MET
CT 6770
By GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL, Narrated by ELAINE KARICKHOFF, 2
cassettes.
Paige is thrown together with a lovely young minister's daughter
when they try to help a family in need. Both drawn and challenged
by this girl's gentle faith, Paige soon finds himself faced with
a vital decision.
WIDOWS OF WICHITA COUNTY
CT 6783
By JODI THOMAS, Narrated by STACI THOMPSON, 2 cassettes.
Apart from sharing the same zip code, Randi Howard, Anna Montano,
Meredith Allen, Helena Whitworth and Crystal Howard have absolutely
nothing in common until a fiery explosion on a west Texas oil rig
changes everything. Their husbands are men who live to search for
"black gold," who willingly trade backbreaking work for money. But
on a blistering day in early autumn, four of the men pay the ultimate
price, leaving behind one man who wishes he had died too.The women
all turn to each other for support and begin a journey of faith,
of love, of strength, and of tears. This book contains some sex,
profanity and violence.
YOU'RE AN ORPHAN, MOLLIE BROWN: A NOVEL
CT 5678
By MARY E. PENSON, Narrated by ELIZABETH OTT, 1 cassette.
Historical fiction inspired by the diary of the real Mattie Barnes
Fielder. With her Ma dead and her Pa away on a cattle drive, Mollie
Brown feels like the orphan her cousin says she is. Mollie dreams
of a home and family of her own. Then, with the help of her school-teacher,
Mollie finds that the answers to dreams are sometimes right front
of you.
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Nonfiction
ANGLOS AND MEXICANS IN THE MAKING OF TEXAS, 1836-1986
CT 5680
By DAVID MONTEJANO, Narrated by RICH DINDA, 3 cassettes.
What happened to Mexicans in Texas after the Alamo? The author reconstructs
the history of Mexican-Anglo relations in Texas since the 19th century,
while addressing such issues as ethnicity, social change, and the
nature of society itself.
BLOOD BROTHERS: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR
CT 5673
By FRANK EVERSON VANDIVER, Narrated by TERRY MAY, 2 cassettes.
In riveting detail, Civil War historian Vandiver recounts the campaigns
and major battles of the first war of the Industrial Revolution,
tracing a version of the war as rooted in the character and vision
of its two leaders and their regions.
BOUNTY OF TEXAS: TEXAS FOLKLORE SOCIETY PUBLICATION NUMBER 49
CT 5690
By FRANCIS EDWARD ABERNETHY, Narrated by JIM CRONENBERG, 2
cassettes.
The essays in this Texas Folklore Society Publication take the reader
from living off the land to German ethnic celebrations, with studies
of folklorists Dorothy Scarborough and J. Frank Dobie, a lexicon
of prison slang, discussions of moonshine and Oliver North, and
a comic dialog about the towns of Jacksboro and Chilicothe.
COWMAN'S WIFE
CT 5686
By MARY KIDDER RAK, Narrated by MARIE EDWARDS, 2 cassettes.
Originally published to critical acclaim in 1934, this is the story
of one ranch wife's struggle to learn the cattle business and cope
with problems of life on an isolated ranch. Mary Rak details the
seasonal round of chores, the devastating effects of drought, the
difficulty of finding and keeping good hired hands, and the ups
and downs of the cattle market. She also tells of the pleasures
of ranch life, from the beauty of the surroundings to the camaraderie
of ranch people.
CHRISTMAS AT THE RANCH
CT 6776
By ELMER KELTON, Narrated by RICHARD DUNHAM, 1 cassette.
Elmer Kelton writes about what Christmas was like in West Texas
during the Great Depression. Kelton experienced Christmas on two
ranches - the one where his father was foreman, and the one his
paternal grandfather operated. His grandparents' home lacked electricity,
running water, and indoor plumbing, but it was full of cousins,
delicious food, and a warm glow that reflected more than just the
heat generated by the pot-bellied stove in the living room. This
book includes accounts of Kelton's last Christmas at home before
shipping out for war in Europe, his first Christmas after the war,
and a special Christmas in Austria more than thirty-five years later.
DOGGED VICTIMS OF INEXORABLE FATE
CT 5714
By DAN JENKINS, Narrated by JOHN CAGLE, 2 cassettes.
For 25 years, author Jenkins has covered golf like no other writer.
This is his original collection of golf stories, including everything
that is frustrating, funny and interesting about the game of golf.
This book contains some profanity.
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ELMER KELTON COUNTRY: THE SHORT NONFICTION OF A TEXAS NOVELIST
CT 5712
By ELMER KELTON, Narrated by JIM CRONENBERG, 2 cassettes.
The pieces collected here are organized in six categories: Land
and Water, Plows and Cows, Old-Timers Remember, The Way It Was,
Rodeo Life, and Writing About the West. For readers who know Kelton
as a rancher and livestock journalist, here are articles about a
way of life and a system of values they share with the author. Those
who know Kelton as a fiction writer will find in these essays the
seeds of his novels--concern for the environment, the craft of writing,
the history of west Texas, and the sport of rodeo.
FLYING WITH IRON ANGELS: THE DIARIES AND MEMORIES OF NAVY CARRIER
PILOTS FIGHTING THE PACIFIC WAR IN 1944
CT 6769
By CHARLES HOUSTON, Narrated by EV LUNNING, 3 cassettes.
Using primary sources at the National Archives as well as diary
entries, flight logs, personal accounts and memories, Houston has
written and compiled an account of Fighter Squadron VF-14 in World
War II. The Iron Angels were Navy fighter pilots who flew the Grumman
Hellcat to escort and protect our dive bombers and torpedo planes.
The U.S.S. Wasp and Air Group 14 operated with the Fast Carrier
Task Force during the most intensive naval combat of the Pacific
War, supporting the invasions of Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Palau, Morotai
and all the Philippine Islands. Here is a collection of personal
diary accounts of their daily activities, interspersed with today's
memories of these same vaterans as they review their adventures
of a half-century ago. This book contains some profanity.
FOLKLORE AND CULTURE ON THE TEXAS-MEXICAN BORDER
CT 5693
By AMERICO PAREDES, Narrated by RICH DINDA, 2 cassettes.
The author is a leading scholar of Mexican American folklore in
the Valley. This collection of 11 previously unpublished articles
provides a sample of his views on the role of conflict and identity
in the emergence of a distinctive border culture and, particularly
its expression in the corrido (folksong). These essays are accessible
to anyone with an interest in the distinctive folk culture of the
Southwest. This book contains some profanity.
FOO, A JAPANESE-AMERICAN PRISONER OF THE RISING SUN: THE SECRET
PRISON
CT 5691
By FRANK FUJITA, Narrated by TOM NAUGHTON, 3 cassettes.
Subtitle: The Secret Prison Diary of Frank "Foo" Fujita. Sergeant
Fujita's World War II experiences were unique: he was one of two
Japanese-Americans to have been a prisoner of war of the Japanese.
His incarceration involved the implied threat of torture and execution
as a traitor to Japan. His story is one of survival--through a combination
of guile, bravery, adaptation and luck. This book contains some
profanity.
GOLDEN SHADOWS OLD WEST MUSEUM
CT 5677
By LARRY L.KING, Narrated by TIM SIMEK, 1 cassette.
A play dealing with the problems of aging, profoundly and with humor.
Author King uses Texas settings and characters to explore his universal
themes, which here include our mistaken stereotypes and impersonal
treatment of the elderly.
GREAT HANGING AT GAINESVILLE, COOKE COUNTY, TEXAS
CT 5689
By THOMAS BARRETT, Narrated by KATHEY LINT, 1 cassette.
Fabled among Texana collectors for its scarcity, this pamphlet was
written in 1885. Its author was on the Cooke County jury that found
39 men guilty of conspiracy and insurrection in the Fall of 1862.
Those men were hung for their participation in a secret "Peace Party"
to protest statewide conscription into the Confederate Army.
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IN THE SHADOW OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION: CONTEMPORARY MEXICAN
HISTORY, 1910-1989
CT 5683
By HECTOR AGUILAR CAMIN, Narrated by PAT CASEY, 3 cassettes.
The authors offer a comprehensive and authoritative study of Mexico's
turbulent 20th century. This English translation is the first single
text to do so, and it gives the reader an accessible study of our
neighbor and economic partner.
MONTEZUMA'S SERPENT: AND OTHER TRUE SUPERNATURAL TALES OF THE
SOUTHWEST
CT 5715
By BRAD STEIGER, Narrated by RUTH BORINSTEIN, 2 cassettes.
The American Southwest has always been home to legends of witches,
phantoms, Indian curses, UFO sightings, buried treasure, mystery
winds, and other unexplained, extraordinary phenomena. This is an
entertaining tour of the region that will delight lovers of eerie
tales.
MEXICAN WAR JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF RALPH W. KIRKHAM
CT 5674
By RALPH WILSON KIRKHAM, Narrated by ED FARRELL, 1 cassette.
From the recently discovered journal kept by Lieutenant Ralph Kirkham
during the last 15 months of the American military presence in Mexico.
This is a lively account of several battles in the Mexican war,
and the exit from Mexico City after U.S. troops turned over the
National Palace to the Mexican Army. Kirkham'as observations of
daily life in Central Mexico are accurate and compelling, and include
bullfights, art exhibits, theatre performances, an earthquake, and
Christmas celebrations.
MORE THAN PETTICOATS: REMARKABLE TEXAS WOMEN
CT 6781
By GRETA ANDERSON, Narrated by LORI BRIX, 1 cassette.
This book explores the history of the Lone Star State through the
stories of ten remarkable women whose courage and contributions
made a profound impact on Texas. These pioneering women exhibited
strength and triumph through their work as doctors, entrepreneurs,
journalists, civil rights advocates, and more. All ten women, born
before 1900, faced incredible challenges.
MOTHER LOVE, DEADLY LOVE: THE TEXAS CHEERLEADER MURDER PLOT
CT 5704
By ANNE MCDONALD MAIER, Narrated by DANI MACFARLANE, 2 cassettes.
Churchgoer and model homemaker Wanda Holloway seemed to lead the
perfect life. Married to a rich, successful husband, she was the
envy of Channelview, Texas. But the real Wanda was a bitter, calculating
woman. This is the story of her consuming jealousy, her frustrated
dreams, and her dangerous delusions. This book contains explicit
descriptions of sex and some profanity.
NEWS FROM BROWNSVILLE:HELEN CHAPMAN'S LETTERS FROM THE TEXAS
MILITARY FRONTIER, 1848-1852
CT 5687
By CALEB COKER, Narrated by MARY JANE PRALL, 3 cassettes.
Helen Chapman and her husband were two influential founding citizens
of Brownsville. Mrs. Chapman chronicled their frontier experience
and commented on social conditions along the Rio Grande. The editor
is a fifth-generation descendant of the Chapmans, and drew these
letters from an extensive family collection.
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O YE LEGENDARY TEXAS HORNED FROG
CT 5725
By JUNE RAYFIELD WELCH, Narrated by JACK GAZZALE, 1 cassette.
A compendium of legends, history and lore about the horny toad that
recounts many a Texas "sighting." Includes the tale of Old Rip,
the horned frog who slept 31 years inside the cornerstone of the
Eastland County Courthouse.
PROGRESSIVES AND PROHIBITIONISTS: TEXAS DEMOCRATS IN THE WILSON
ERA
CT 5688
By LEWIS L. GOULD, Narrated by JACK GAZZALE, 3 cassettes.
This prize-winning account of early 20th-century Texas politics
offers a clear, well-written narrative of an exciting period in
Texas history. Prohibition dominated the scene, and colorful figures
like James E. Ferguson and Joseph Weldon Bailey held intense debates,
pro and con.
RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS
CT 5685
By FRANK S.HASTINGS, Narrated by THERESE EAST, 2 cassettes.
Considered one of the best books about Texas cowboys, cattle, and
cattlemen. The author spent twenty years managing the enormous SMS
Ranch. His inside look at cattle breeding, cowboy life, and the
packing industry was originally published in 1921. Subtitle: An
Autobiography in which unfamiliar facts bearing upon the origin
of the cattle industry in the Southwest and of the American packing
business are stated, and characteristic incidents recorded.
REBEL
CT 5705
By LEONOR VILLEGAS DE MAGNON, Narrated by GRATIA WINSHIP, 3
cassettes.
This is the memoir of a revolutionary woman, Leonor Villegas de
Magnon, a fiery critic of Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. She was
a conspirator and participant in the Mexican Revolution. An aristocrat,
Villegas de Magnon rebelled against the ideals of her class and
against the traditional role of women in society. Many women from
both sides of the border risked their lives to support the revolution.
Villegas de Magnon decided to write her personal story years afterward,
when their participation had yet to be acknowledged.
RIDING FENCE
CT 5729
By JUNE RAYFIELD WELCH, Narrated by RICH DINDA, 2 cassettes.
These stories of Texas' periphery--of the outside counties from
El Paso to Dallam to Bowie to Cameron--recount tales of legendary
Texas people, places and events.
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA: GATEWAY TO SPANISH TEXAS
CT 5682
By ROBERT S.WEDDLE, Narrated by RICH DINDA, 3 cassettes.
In their efforts to assert dominion over vast reaches of the (now
U.S.). Southwest in the 17th cenutry, the Spanish built a series
of far-flung missions and presidios at strategic places. One of
the most important was San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande, located
at the present site of Guerrero, Mexico. As ethnohistory, this classic
text documents constant cultural misunderstanding among the indigenous
and arriving peoples whose religious, military, colonial, and commercial
interests brought them to San Juan.
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SITTING IT OUT: A WORLD WAR II POW MEMOIR
CT 5675
By DAVID WESTHEIMER, Narrated by RICH DINDA, 3 cassettes.
One of a handful of accounts of Texans in the War, this prison memoir
is colorful and rich in detail. In the engaging style of his novels,
such as Von Ryan's Express, the author describes daily life in the
Italian and German POW camps where he spent twenty-eight months.
SUMMER STOCK: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH LBJ IN '48: RECOLLECTIONS
OF A POLITICAL ODYSSEY
CT 5676
By JOE PHIPPS, Narrated by JOHN COFFMAN, 3 cassettes.
An insightful and funny look inside LBJ's 1948 Senate campaign--the
race that put him in the national political fast lane--by an aide-de-camp
with a good memory and a flair for the descriptive. This book contains
some profanity.
TELLING: CONFESSIONS, CONCESSIONS, AND OTHER FLASHES OF LIGHT
CT 5701
By MARION WINIK, Narrated by MARION WINIK, 1 cassette.
Austin writer Winik practices a very personal journalism, drawing
the reader into her life with pieces ranging from adjustment to
motherhood to episodes from her wild youth. These essays are frank
and wonderfully written. This book contains some sex and profanity.
TELL ME A TEXAS STORY
CT 5726
By JUNE RAYFIELD WELCH, Narrated by MARY JANE PRALL, 1 cassette.
A collection of tales Texan, originally written for the award-winning
Vignettes of Texas History radio series. These stories feature a
mix of fact and folklore and are grouped thematically.
TEXAS AND CHRISTMAS; A COLLECTION OF TRADITIONS, MEMORIES AND
FOLKLORE
CT 6786
By JOYCE GIBSON ROACH, Narrated by VALERIE PRUCKA, 1 cassette.
Most of the pieces in this collection bring the past into the present,
reviving traditions and memories of Christmases long gone. Others
reflect the diversity of our Texas people, and still others describe
customs that are even today setting new traditions for the future.
TEXAS REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIENCE: A POLITICAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY,
1835-1836
CT 5672
By PAUL D. LACK, Narrated by TOM FAIRBROTHER, 3 cassettes.
This fresh perspective on the Texas Revolution portrays the Texans
as a fragmented people--beset by racial and ethnic tensions, and
without a consensus about the meaning of political changes in Mexico.
The army lacked discipline and respect for property, and the majority
of Texans had refused military service. The author shows the dilemma
Mexican Texans faced in the conflict, and convincingly shows that
the Revolution was a time of dislocation and grief for most Texans,
not healed by the eventual outcome of battle.
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WHEN I WAS JUST YOUR AGE
CT 5692
By ROBERT FLYNN, Narrated by LINDA FOX, 1 cassette.
This book is the result of a National Endowment for the Humanities
project called "Thinking Historically", an effort to help children
perceive patterns of behavior and the creation of culture. The authors
expanded the successful project into a book, travelling across Texas
to collect the stories of diverse Texans, focusing on childhood
memories. Includes an Activity Guide to help children, parents,
and teachers gather oral history material.
WILLIAM WAYNE JUSTICE: A JUDICIAL BIOGRAPHY
CT 5681
By FRANK R.KEMERER, Narrated by HAROLD STEADMAN, 5 cassettes.
Recent congressional battles over judicial appointments indicate
that judges, no less than legislators, can be public policymakers.
William Wayne Justice readily accepted this role, liberally interpreting
the Constitution to meet the changing needs of society. As U.S.
District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, he has issued
landmark reform decisions significantly affecting public institutions
in Texas as well as nationally. Here the author explores the factors
that led to these decisions and made Judge Justice a controversial
figure.
WILL ROGERS AT THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES
CT 5695
By WILL ROGERS, Narrated by HAROLD STEADMAN, 2 cassettes.
Featuring the humorist's writings and poignant observations on society
during WWI and the Roaring Twenties, this unique collection includes
two of Rogers' most popular books, The Cowboy Philosopher on the
Peace Conference and The Cowboy Philosopher on Prohibition. Editor
Frank Wertheim helps to recreate an era when audiences laughed at
the home-spun humor of this national legend.
WILL ROGERS AND WILEY POST: DEATH AT BARROW
CT 5697
By BRYAN B.STERLING, Narrated by DAVID ARNSBERGER, 3 cassettes.
This is a double biography as well as a historical account of the
plane crash that killed Rogers and Post. The narrative describes
all of the events leading up to the accident that took the lives
of these two American icons and the investigation that followed.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF THE ALAMO
CT 5709
By CRYSTAL SASSE RAGSDALE, Narrated by RIC FURLEY, 1 cassette.
More than a dozen women and children survived the Alamo battle and
later recounted their experiences. With one exception--Juana Navarro
Perez Alsbury--all were illiterate. Their often-conflicting accounts
have survived through oral history. Author Ragsdale has collected
seven accounts and mixes fact, fiction, legend, and memory in a
satisfying mix.
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Ordering
More Texas Titles Thousands of additional titles recorded
in Texas are available from the Talking Book Program. Ask a Reader
Consultant to recommend other Texas titles and authors or have Texas
titles added to your reading list through our automatic selection
program. A world of Texas books is just a phone call or e-mail message
away.
As with all of the books in our collection, there is no time limit
for ordering any of these books. Feel free to ask for these titles
at any time – now or in the future.
The Texas volunteers welcome your comments and suggestions. Send
an e-mail message to the Volunteer Recording Studio at tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
or write to us at Volunteer Recording Studio, Talking Book Program,
PO Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927. If you live in the Austin area
and are interested in volunteering to record books, please call
463-5546 for more information. Information about volunteering is
available on this website: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/tbp/vrs.html
Talking Book Program, Austin, TX, July 2005.
Talking Book Program
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
PO Box 12927
Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas)
512-463-5458 (in Austin)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
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