Book Reviews
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Song of loss and redemption: A review of Theft
In Colorado essayist BK Loren's first novel, the loss of nature is linked to the loss of a loved one, and grief becomes a territory to be explored.
by Emily Wortman-Wunder, Sep 16, 2012 -
A parent lost and found: A review of Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life
Harrrison Candelaria Fletcher tries to trace his family history -- particularly the life of his father, who died when he was almost two, in his new book.
by Jenny Shank, Sep 02, 2012 -
Return to innocence: A review of Queen of America
In Luis Alberto Urrea's sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter, the author continues his imagined story of his legendary Great-aunt Teresita, who was known as the Saint of Cabora.
by Kathleen Yale, Sep 02, 2012 -
Book note: Valley of Shadows and Dreams
Melanie Light's thoughtful essays, accompanied by the evocative black-and-white photographs of her husband, Ken Light, portray a dark and yet hauntingly beautiful California in Valley of Shadows and Dreams.
by Staff, Sep 02, 2012 -
Lights, camera, life: A review of Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter's dashing sixth novel spans two continents and covers five decades as the lives of nine characters interweave throughout the years.
by Jenny Shank, Aug 19, 2012 -
A long, strange trip: A review of Pot Farm
In his memoir, Matthew Gavin Frank takes the reader on a hallucinatory journey through the medical marijuana industry in Mendocino County, Calif.
by Annie Dawid, Aug 19, 2012 -
Atlas of Yellowstone
The thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated Atlas of Yellowstone covers the Greater Yellowstone Area from A to Z.
by Staff, Aug 20, 2012 -
We cannot drill our way out of this mess: A review of Arctic Voices
In Arctic Voices: Resistance at the Tipping Point, renowned photographer Subhankar Banerjee hears from 39 writers, biologists, activists and Native Americans about the need to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
by Michael Engelhard, Aug 05, 2012 -
Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation
In Arapaho Journeys, photographer Sara Wiles assembles 30 years' worth of photos and stories about life on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation.
by Staff, Aug 05, 2012 -
Practical pyromania: A review of The Flamer
In his new novel, Ben Rogers tells the coming-of-age story of a young Nevada boy named Oby Brooks who just loves to blow things up.
by Jenny Shank, Aug 05, 2012 -
Once upon a time in a small town: A review of The Other Shoe
Matt Pavelich takes what appears to be an ordinary tale about traveling the rural West and turns into something much darker and stranger in his new novel.
by Chérie Newman, Jul 22, 2012 -
Hero worship: A review of Let the Birds Drink in Peace
In Robert Garner McBrearty’s fresh and funny new story collection, ordinary guys occasionally experience an instant of greatness – and have to deal with the unexpected consequences.
by Jenny Shank, Jul 22, 2012 -
Bob Kuhn: Drawing on Instinct
In this art book, Adam Duncan Harris assembles the work of one of the West’s premier wildlife artists, pairing his finished acrylic paintings with the conté crayon sketches that inspired them
by Jodi Peterson, Jul 22, 2012 -
A review of Elevating Western American Art
In Elevating Western American Art, editor Thomas Brent Smith brings together essays and photos describing how the Petrie Institute at the Denver Art Museum was developed and showcasing its wonders.
by Jodi Peterson, Jun 24, 2012 -
Hidden in plain sight: A review of The American Wall
In the two massive volumes of The American Wall, French photographer Maurice Sherif works with anthropologists, activists and writers to explore the border fence that separates the U.S. from Mexico.
by Terray Sylvester, Jun 19, 2012 -
Filling empty pages: A review of When Women Were Birds
In her latest memoir, When Women Were Birds, writer Terry Tempest Williams tries to solve the mystery of the cloth-bound journals her dying mother left her -- all of them completely blank.
by Devon Fredericksen, May 27, 2012 -
In the desert, questions without answers: A review of Gods Without Men
In Gods Without Men, British novelist Hari Kunzru wanders through time and space in California's Mojave Desert.
by Martin Connelly, May 27, 2012 -
The least -- and most -- American of places: A review of Rez Life
In Rez Life, novelist David Treuer takes a nonfiction look at his own life as an Ojibwe Indian on the reservation.
by Lee E. Cart, May 13, 2012 -
Matters of life and death: A review of Contents May Have Shifted
In Contents May Have Shifted, Pam Houston writes about a writer’s journeys, both physical and emotional
by Erica Olsen, May 13, 2012 -
New telling of a geologic saga: A review of Rough-Hewn Land
In Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains, Keith Heyer Meldahl brings the geography of the West to vivid life.
by Claire Peaslee, Apr 29, 2012
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