Southwest Books of the Year
Richard Quartaroli Picks
109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first atomic bombs — the Manhattan Project Trinity test and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and a flurry of books about them have appeared. Jennet Conant, granddaughter of participant James B. Conant, writes about project leader Robert Oppenheimer and the project’s establishment at Los Alamos, but does it thoroughly and creatively through the eyes and words of Oppenheimer’s secretary, Dorothy McKibbin. For 27 months, the unlikely McKibbin ran “a front for a clandestine defense laboratory” from her office at 109 East Palace Avenue, an adobe building just steps away from the main plaza in Santa Fe.
Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories and Mystery
In a straightforward manner, geologist Wayne Ranney summarizes the evidence and theories of the past 150 years for the existence of the Grand Canyon, making them easily grasped by those with a minimum of geological knowledge. Superb color illustrations, both landscape and geological, provide visuals to match the explanations. Though I also liked James Powell’s similar work, Ranney’s title implies a solution to the mystery of carving the Grand Canyon, when, as both point out, geologists still cannot agree on anything other than that the Colorado River was responsible. If you had one Grand Canyon geology book to take on a Colorado River trip, Ranney’s would be it.
Eating Stone: Imagination and the Loss of the Wild
Twenty years before Ellen Meloy watched some Utah bighorn sheep for a year, she observed a hand-built shelter, now “collapsed into an indeterminate pile of rubble…the door’s milled boards painted blue,” giving name to her Blue Door Band of bighorn. A highlight of river trips through Grand Canyon is the sighting of bighorn sheep, fascinating to watch every move, particularly their climbing agility. Meloy has given us in words the feelings we have always needed to remember what our wild observations are all about. She died a year ago, after having just graced us with this book; we’ll miss you, Ellen.
High, Wide, and Handsome: The River Journals of Norman D. Nevills
River historian Roy Webb struggled with a biography of pioneer outfitter Norman Nevills, who essentially invented whitewater tourism, until Webb transcribed and edited Norm’s river journals, allowing Nevills his own boating story. Nevills is primarily known for being the first commercial Grand Canyon river outfitter, but he is also the first person to complete more than two trips, running seven trips before his untimely death. Previously, the story of “Fast Water Man” had been inadequately restricted to two slim volumes. Webb’s work helps to fill this knowledge gap and joins the other recently published river journals that accompany me through the Grand Canyon.
Hummingbird’s Daughter, The
Teresa “Teresita” Urrea is author Luis Alberto Urrea’s great-aunt, the real-life “Saint of Cabora,” and a renowned late 19th/early 20th century curandera. This roving novel covers the first 19 years of her life as one of the illegitimate children of main character and patrón Don Tomás Urrea and the 14-year old “Hummingbird,” and is based on meticulous research and family history. Teresita is oft-abandoned, but studies under the tutelage of Huila, the curmudgeonly healer of the rancho. I loved the urchin from the beginning, and became enchanted with the tales and travels of her awakenings north through Mexico, and her entrance into Arizona.
Photographer’s Guide to the Grand Canyon, The: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
Though some locations are off the beaten track, you will not expend as much energy getting there as might be presumed typical for über-hiker/runner/adventurer John Annerino. Those Grand Canyon visitors who have more time than the typical several hours, following Annerino’s advice of where and how to take perfect shots, will undoubtedly visit scenic locales worthy of superb photographs. Viewing his amazing images, however, might lead to discouragement. Film will be the cheapest part of your entire trip, so take plenty of exposures. You might not get that “perfect” shot, but your results will improve, and you’ll visit out-of-the-ordinary Grand Canyon vistas.
Pottery of Santa Ana Pueblo, The
Focused primarily on Santa Ana Pueblo in north central New Mexico, Harlow et al. also describe the pottery styles from circa 1450 to 1760 in the Puname Pueblos, which include Zia Pueblo as well. Created for “a wide audience, from…specialists to those who appreciate the art of Pueblo pottery,” none will be disappointed. The authors chronologically and geographically relate the Puname Pueblos pottery evolution, and also cover the end of pottery making for local use, and several ongoing current revivals. Over 350 color photographs highlight the wonderful artistic work of, and on, these utilitarian creations.
Slavery, Scandal, and Steel Rails: The 1854 Gadsden Purchase and the Building of the Second Transcontinental Railroad Across Arizona and New Mexico Twenty-Five Years Later
The Gadsden Purchase, its purpose to provide a southerly transcontinental railroad route, supplied the last piece to the jigsaw puzzle of the continental United States. Not built until 25 years after the purchase, the completion of the steel rails was the result of scandal, yet its intended purpose to extend slavery was long since unneeded. While giving credit to previous or ongoing works as seminal for their individual topics, southern Arizona historian David Devine admirably links the themes for this much-needed overview. Something else much needed is an index, the lack of which mars the overall work, but 14 maps provide more than adequate coverage.
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