STAFF PICKS
Welcome to the staff picks section of our website!
Discover new titles from the recommendations of your favorite staff members at the Burleson Public Library.
The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles
Book recommended by Sara
In 1863, the War Between the States creeps slowly yet
inevitably toward its bloody conclusion—and eastern thoughts are already turning
to different wars and enemies.
Searching for a life and future, former Kentucky slave Britt Johnson is
venturing west into unknown territory with his wife, Mary, and their three
children—wary but undeterred by sobering tales of atrocities inflicted upon
those who trespass against the Comanche and the Kiowa. Settling on the Texas
plains, the Johnson family hopes to build on the dreams that carried them from
the Confederate South to this new land of possibility—dreams that are abruptly
shattered by a brutal Indian raid upon the settlement while Britt is away
establishing a business. Returning to face the unthinkable—his friends and
neighbors slain or captured, his eldest son dead, his beloved Mary severely
damaged and enslaved, and his remaining children absorbed into an alien society
that will never relinquish its hold on them—the heartsick freedman vows not to
rest until his family is whole again.
Samuel Hammond follows a different road west. A Quaker whose fortune is
destroyed by a capricious act of an inscrutable God, he has resigned himself to
the role the Deity has chosen for him. As a new agent for the Office of Indian
Affairs, it is Hammond's goal to ferret out corruption and win justice for the
noble natives now in his charge. But the proud, stubborn people refuse to cease
their raids, free their prisoners, and accept the farming implements and
lifestyle the white man would foist upon them, adding fuel to smoldering
tensions that threaten to turn a man of peace, faith, and reason onto a course
of terrible retribution.
A soaring work of the imagination based on oral histories of the post–Civil War
years in North Texas, Paulette Jiles's The Color of Lightning is at once an
intimate look into the hearts and hopes of tragically flawed human beings and a
courageous reexamination of a dark American history.
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The Alamo, directed by John Wayne (1960)
The Alamo, directed by John Lee Hancock (2004)
Movies recommended by Matt
Armchair historians may argue which of these is the better film but both of these historical dramas regarding the famous siege of The Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) have their good points. Naturally Western purists prefer the 1960 version for the presence of John Wayne as Davy Crockett but surprisingly few know that this was one of the five movies where John Wayne served as actor AND director. On the other hand, the 2004 version - in addition to having more elaborate battle scenes that truly convey the horrors of war - went beyond the events at The Alamo to depict the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836), where General Sam Houston's rag-tag army of Texans took on and defeated Santa Anna's army.
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Gone to Texas, directed by Peter Levin
Movie recommended by Matt
The American West has produced more than its' share of legends, but none greater
than the true life story of Sam Houston - the frontier hero and statesman whose
bravery and vision lead to the creation of Texas!
1829- Sam Houston's career as the popular governor of Tennessee ends in disgrace
and heartbreak. He treks back to the happy place of his boyhood among the
Cherokee natives.
Houston finds love with a part-Cherokee and honor as he negotiates peace among
the warring tribes. Yet the U.S. Government destroys his triumph by coldly
seizing the Cherokee lands.
In despair, he heads to the Mexican territory of Tejas to join his old friend
Jim Bowie in an epic fight for the liberation of what will one day be Texas.
Originally a historical mini-series for television called Houston: The Legend of
Texas, this is an enjoyable film no matter what you call it. Sam Elliot does an
excellent job of portraying Sam Houston and the original mini-series won The
Bronze Wrangler Award for Historical Accuracy in Film.
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The Wolf and the Buffalo by Elmer Kelton
Book recommended by Amanda
From the author of The Far Canyon and The Good Old Boys comes
this poignant story of a freed slave who goes west with the army and confronts
much more than the hostilities of the Comanche and Kiowa.
The Civil War has ended and Gideon Ledbetter is feed from slavery. Like many, he
has no land, no money, and no means to make a living. Gideon is drawn into the
army by a recruiter who paints an alluring picture of cavalry life out in the
west. The Indians called the black men "Buffalo" soldiers, as their tightly
twisted hair reminded them of the large animals that they hunted for survival.
Gideon is drawn into a conflict with a Comanche warrior, Gray Horse Running,
which leads to a shattering confrontation on the plains of west Texas. This is
the story of two men drawn together amid the blood and the fury of a conflict
not of their making.
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Texas by James A. Michener
Book recommended by Amanda
In this magnificent historical novel, James A. Michener masterfully combines fact and fiction to present America’s richest, most expansive and diversified state. Spanning four and a half centuries, this monumental saga charts the epic history of Texas, from its Spanish roots in the age of the conquistadors, to its modern-day American character, shaped by oil and industry. A stunning achievement by a literary master, Texas is a tale of violence and conflict, patriotism and statesmanship, growth and development. Among Michener’s finely drawn cast of characters, emotional and political alliances are made and broken; loyalties are established over the course of Texas’s remarkable history, only to be betrayed by the expansion of wealth and industry. With Michener as our guide, this novel is as exciting as it is informative.
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One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Book recommended by Sandy
" I leave this record for my dear children, in the event that
they never see their loving mother again and so that they might one day know the
truth of my unjust incarceration, my escape from Hell, and into whatever is to
come in these pages..." from the journals of May Dodd
Based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries, this is
the story of a remarkable woman who travels west in 1875 and marries the chief
of the Cheyenne Nation.
One Thousand White Women begins with May Dodd's journey west, into the unknown.
Yet the unknown is a far better fate than the life she left behind: committed to
an insane asylum by her blueblood family for the crime of loving a man beneath
her station, May finds that her only hope of freedom is to participate in a
secret government program whereby women from the "civilized" world become the
brides of Cheyenne warriors. What follows is the story of May's breathtaking
adventures: her brief, passionate romance with the gallant young army captain
John Bourke; her marriage to the great chief Little Wolf; and her conflict of
being caught between two worlds, loving two men, living two lives.
So vividly has Jim Fergus depicted the American West that May Dodd's journals
are like a capsule in time.
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Buffalo Music by Tracey E. Fern
Book recommended by Carolyn
When Molly first settled in Palo Duro Canyon in Texas in the late 1800s, millions of buffalo roamed the land. Molly lived and worked to their music. She stirred the fire to the huff-huff of buffalo breath clouding the chill dawn, swept the dugout to the thunder of hooves.
Then different sounds filled the air—the boom and blast of rifles. Before long, the buffalo were gone. But Molly, as stubborn as the buffalo themselves, found a way to save the species. She adopted and raised orphaned calves, and gradually grew her own herd. Some were sent to Yellowstone National Park, where their descendants still roam today; others stayed in the canyon, where Molly could once again hear the music of the clatter of clashing horns, the bellowing of bulls, and the muffled thud of hooves.
An evocative story of determination, conservation, and the ability of one person to make a difference.
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The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West by Gary Paulsen
Book recommended by Carolyn
Born into slavery, Bass Reeves became the most successful US
Marshal of the Wild West.
Many "heroic lawmen" of the Wild West, familiar to us through television and
film, were actually violent scoundrels and outlaws themselves. But of all the
sheriffs of the frontier, one man stands out as a true hero: Bass Reeves.
He was the most successful Federal Marshal in the US in his day. True to the
mythical code of the West, he never drew his gun first. He brought hundreds of
fugitives to justice, was shot at countless times, and never hit.
Bass Reeves was a black man, born into slavery. And though the laws of his
country enslaved him and his mother, when he became a free man he served the
law, with such courage and honor that he became a legend.
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Inside the Alamo by Jim Murphy
Book recommended by Carolyn
Texas won its independence from Mexico with the battle cry
"Remember the Alamo!" But just what exactly was the Alamo, and what happened
there to change the history of the United States?
This is a comprehensive look at that famous siege as well as its background and
consequences. It provides profiles of the famous men who died there, many quotes
from contemporary witnesses (including entries from the memoirs and diaries of
Mexican soldiers), fascinating details about everything from the weaponry of the
time to the fate of the women and children who followed the Mexican army north,
and a rousing description of the final battle, all copiously illustrated with
paintings, photos, maps, diagrams, and more. This is history at its vivid and
exciting best.
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