book reviews

Seeing the Unseen

New collections of fiction and nonfiction build on Dagoberto Gilb’s long career as chronicler of the working-class Southwest.

by Roberto Ontiveros

Keep Reading

Lawmen Above the Law

by Lise Olsen

The Banality of Border Evil

by Gus Bova

Rick’s Requiem: The Serious Impact of an Unserious Politician

by Justin Miller

A Roadmap to Rebuilding Communities

Texas highways have destroyed and dominated our built environment. Megan Kimble's book "City Limits" offers a new vision.

by Josephine Lee

Texas Mother-Daughter Books Are More a Shot of Whiskey than a Sip of Tea

Undoubtedly, mother-daughter relationships are as varied in the Lone Star State as anywhere else on the planet, but in my experience, Texas moms are tough.

by Chris Cander

A shadowy photo of Ku Klux Klan members, silhouetted in their white robes by a burning bonfire.

Unmasking the Klansman

A new book reveals the untold story of a Ku Klux Klan member’s literary double life.

by Paul Stekler

A composite image: At left, the cover of Unheard Witness shows a grainy photo of Kathy Leissner Whitman smiling, with Charles Whitman, the tower sniper, just out of view with his arm on her shoulder. To the right, a low angle view of the UT Clock Tower with trees in the foreground at the University of Texas at Austin, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

The Tower Sniper’s Wife

A new book from UT Press provides a troubling twist on the vow “until death do us part.”

by Lise Olsen

The devastated facade of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City after Timothy McVeigh's bombing. A burnt out van and a red rescue crane are in the foreground.

‘A Man Without a Gun Is Not a Citizen’

Although Jeffrey Toobin’s reputation has recently been tarnished by scandal, in Homegrown he has produced the definitive book on Timothy McVeigh’s continuing legacy.

by David R. Brockman

Szilvia Molnar, a blonde woman in a blue dress, leans against a wall while looking at the camera.

A Postpartum Page-Turner

Austin author's memoir-esque novel about motherhood is both engaging—and disturbing.

by Roberto Ontiveros

In Dallas' Village Station, a pre-Lawrence gay club, a smiling white man in a long-sleeve white shirt stands behind a counter, holding a handful of $1 bills. A sign behind him reads "Village Station is Gay Owned and Gay Operated for Gay People". Another sign proclaims that there is a $2 cover. An old fashioned lamp is on the counter and an old rotary phone on the wall.

Before ‘Lawrence’: From Sodomy to Queer Liberation

Wesley G. Phelps’ new history book reveals how gay persecution in the Lone Star State spurred the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights nationwide.

by Kit O'Connell

A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter buzzes past the Mount Carmel Branch Davidian compound in this March 27, 1993, file photo taken near Waco, Texas. The sprawling compound appears to be made of stucco, with a long ranch-style area and a multi-story unit towering over the rest. Bare scrubby trees surround the property. A banner hanging from the tall building reads Rodney King We Understand.

‘A Legacy of Rage’ in Waco

Fort Worth author Jeff Guinn offers a compelling account of the 1993 tragedy that still casts shadows on our political landscape today.

by David R. Brockman

An tiny old, white-painted rustic wooden chapel stands in a Texas field under a sky with storm clouds rolling in.

A Question with No Easy Answers

Brian McLaren's book "Do I Stay Christian?" challenges the faithful to examine the harm caused by modern religion.

by Wendi Gordon

book reviews

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