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- The Son by Philipp Meyer. The best book written about Texas, fact or fiction, is Meyer's epic novel, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. When 13-year-old Eli McCullough's family is wiped out in 1851 by Comanche raiders, Eli is taken captive and then slowly assimilated into the tribe.
- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy's masterpiece follows a character simply known as "the kid" who leaves his Tennessee home in 1849 and runs away to Texas.
- Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans by T. R. Fehrenbach. Simply the best one-volume history of Texas, Fehrenbach takes us from the days of Spanish conquistadors through the Revolution and Republic, all the way to the booms and busts of the 20th century.
- Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas by Stephen Harrigan. Harrigan updates Fehrenbach and his history of the Lone Star state lives up to its forebear's high standard.
- What’s Not Included
- Fiction
- Non-Fiction
I made a last-minute decision, though, to cut “Libra,” a book by a guy from the Bronx about a guy from the Bronx who did a horrible thing in Dallas. Even now, though, I feel like Don DeLillo’s probing novel about the Kennedy assassination feels pertinent today. Thirty-two years after the book’s publication and nearly 60 years after the events that ...
“Lonesome Dove,” Larry McMurtry (1985): McMurtry wanted to demythologize the West. But 1985 was in the middle of a boom time for American mythology. Get into the pages, though, and the brutish story is far from romantic. He thinks he has written better books. I wouldn’t argue with him. He hasn’t written a bigger book, though. “No Country for Old Me...
“Isaac’s Storm,” Erik Larson (1999): Most of these non-fiction titles are better described by their subtitles than my descriptions. This one: “A man, a time and the deadliest hurricane in history.” Larson paces this story of the destruction of Galveston like a thriller. “The Liar’s Club,” Mary Karr (1995): Karr’s tale of a childhood in East Texas s...
Sep 30, 2019 · Big Wonderful Thing, a sprawling history of the Lone Star state, showcases Harrigan's enthusiasm for Texas — it's an endlessly fascinating look at how the state has evolved over the years.
- Lincoln in the Bardo. by George Saunders. The life of Abraham Lincoln may seem like an improbable way into exploring the psyche of a grieving father. But through a world of spirits both demonic and benevolent, the debut novel (yes, really) from Amarillo native Saunders gives new depth to the 16th president—not as a politician, but as a man trying to keep it together in the face of tragedy.
- Barefoot Dogs: Stories. by Antonio Ruiz-Camacho. These interwoven stories by Ruiz-Camacho, a Dobie Paisano Fellow who lives in Austin, capture what our review called the “flawed but fascinating humanity of the extended Arteaga family: five children and seven grandchildren of kidnapped family patriarch José Victoriano.”
- Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI, and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty. by Melissa del Bosque. A fascinating and fast-paced tale of how a Texan blew the whistle on a pair of brothers who laundered millions through horse racing.
- Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. by S.C. Gwynne. The deeply researched and compelling epic tale of Quanah Parker, the Comanche’s last brilliant chief, is intertwined with that of his mother, a pioneer girl who built her life with the tribe after being taken captive and marrying its leader.
These books often explore the unique culture, history, and landscape of Texas, and may feature themes such as cowboys, ranching, oil drilling, and the struggles of frontier life. The Texas category may also include works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that are written by Texas authors or that focus on the experiences of Texans.
The best books on Texas. recommended by Attica Locke. The author of the acclaimed noir novels Black Water Rising and The Cutting Season, Attica Locke, tells us about stories of freed slaves, oil barons and gangsters on the run – books that capture the outlaw spirit of her home state. Black Water Rising. by Attica Locke. Read.
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Jan 1, 2001 · Spanning four and a half centuries, James A. Michener’s monumental saga chronicles the epic history of Texas, from its Spanish roots in the age of the conquistadors to its current reputation as one of America’s most affluent, diverse, and provocative states.
