July – December 2015 Briscoe Book Club Selections
Doc
Mary Doria Russell
From internationally acclaimed author Mary Doria Russell comes a magnificent account of
Dr. John Henry (Doc) Holliday. The novel describes his legendary life, his mother, and his
friendship with the Earp brothers.
Still Wild : Short Fiction of the American West 1950 to the Present
Ed. Larry McMurtry
From Kerouac's “Mexican Girl” to Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain,” this collection of short
stories compiled by Western master, Larry McMurtry, breaks the genre's norms and
illuminates the true character of the American West.
Mañana Means Heaven
Tim Z. Hernandez
Called a “love story of impossible odds,” award-winning writer Tim Z. Hernandez deftly
combines fact and fiction from love letters and interviews to tell the true story of Jack
Kerouac's “Mexican Girl,” Beatrice Franco.
The Harness Maker's Dream
Nick Kotz
Both historical study and ancestral narrative, this eloquent book follows 17 year old
Ukrainian Nathan Kallison as he flees the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe and
journeys to Texas, depicting the realities and triumphs of Jewish immigrants in America.
Mink River
Brian Doyle
In this fictional debut, Doyle lyrically relays the larger-than-life stories of small town
Neawanka, Oregon, curled against the shores of the earth’s biggest ocean.
Wild
Cheryl Strayed
Life in tatters at age 26, Cheryl Strayed made the decision to hike more than 1000 miles of
the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert to Washington, alone. In this brutally
honest account of her struggles, Strayed speaks for individuals forging their own path to
redemption.
January – June 2015 Briscoe Book Club Selections
The Liars Club
Mary Karr
In this funny, razor-edged memoir, Mary Karr looks back at her apocalyptic childhood in a
swampy East Texas refinery town with a volatile family of liars and drunks.
Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
Based on events from the 1850s on the Texas-Mexico border, Cormac McCarthy tells the
story of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old, who stumbles into a nightmarish world where Indians
are murdered indiscriminately.
By the Lake of Sleeping Children
Louise Alberto Urrea
Louise Alberto Urrea delves into the purgatory of garbage pickers and dump dwellers living
along the U.S.-Mexican border, illuminating the horrors of people trapped in this no-man’s
land.
Ceremony
Leslie Marmon Silko
A World War II veteran of mixed ancestry is tormented by his war experiences and
wounded by the rejection of his people on the Laguna Pueblo Reservation.
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
Timothy Egan
Photographer Edward S. Curtis spent decades documenting more than eighty North
American tribes—amassing over 40,000 photographs. Timothy Egan explores one man’s
obsession with a single, all-consuming mission.
The Devil’s Backbone
Bill Wittliff
Inspired by the larger-than-life stories of his family, Bill Wittliff takes readers on a journey
through the rough 1880s frontier in a story brimming with folk wisdom and sly humor.
August – December 2014 Briscoe Book Club Selections
The Sisters Brothers
Patrick deWitt
Darkly comic and outrageously inventive, Dewitt’s cutting novel follows two hired guns on
their misadventures through the California Gold Rush. Called an “odd and wonderful
tour-de-force,” DeWitt offers a decidedly off-kilter and off-color view of the Wild West.
Flight
Sherman Alexie
A powerful, fast, and timely story by an award-winning author, Flight is the tale of an
orphaned, teenaged Indian boy in search of his true identity. About to commit a
devastating act, he finds himself shot back in time through moments of violence in
American history. This book has been called Sherman Alexie at his most brilliant—making
us laugh while breaking our hearts.
Vintage Cisneros
Sandra CisnerosSandra Cisneros is famous for presenting the working-class Latino
experience with an irresistible mix of realism and lyrical exuberance. Vintage Cisneros is a
perfect introduction to the works of this MacArthur Fellow, featuring excerpts from her
award-winning books The House on Mango Street, Loose Women, and My Wicked Wicked Ways.
Empire of the Summer Moon
SC Gwynne
Stunningly vivid, Empire of the Summer Moon is the provocative historical account of two
astonishing stories: the rise and fall of the Comanche Nation alongside the narrative of
Cynthia Ann Parker, an abductee of the Comanche tribe at age nine and mother of the
Comanche’s greatest chief, Quanah Parker.
Train Dreams: A Novella
Denis Johnson
Winner of numerous awards and referred to as “an epic in miniature,” Train Dreams is the
story of a day laborer at the turn of the 20th century struggling with the loss of his family
and the radical changes transforming American society. Drenched with history and
imagery, this book captures the last breaths of the truly American way of life.