Bordertown: The Odyssey of an American Place Contributor(s): Johnson, Benjamin Heber (Author), Gusky, Jeffrey (Author), Urrea, Luis Alberto (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0300139284 ISBN-13: 9780300139280 Publisher: Yale University Press OUR PRICE: $60.39 Product Type: Hardcover Published: September 2008 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - West (ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy) |
Dewey: 976.448 |
LCCN: 2008017942 |
Series: Lamar Series in Western History |
Physical Information: 0.78" H x 9.94" W x 8.78" (2.07 lbs) 224 pages |
Themes: - Geographic Orientation - Texas |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: An evocative portrayal of a remote place that offers a whole new way of looking at the U.S.-Mexico border European culture left its mark here, but it was brought by mixed-race, Spanish-speaking pioneers who practiced Muslim irrigation techniques and believed that they were descended from Jews. Triumphant American armies made this region part of the United States, but the descendants of those they conquered have fought in every American conflict from the Civil War to Iraq. Racial strife divided this land, but slaves gained freedom by fleeing south to Mexico and Hispanics reacquired wealth and power by buying out Anglos. Although today the area is one of the poorest in the United States, the fortune that founded Citibank was made here and the town has inspired such authors as John Steinbeck and Larry McMurtry. In a time when the border is a source of controversy and division, Johnson's unexpected stories and Gusky's haunting photographs demonstrate how deeply the story of the border is also the story of America itself. |