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Going Back to Bisbee
One of America's most distinguished poets now shares his fascination with a distinctive corner of our country. Richard Shelton first came to southeastern Arizona in the 1950s as a soldier stationed at Fort Huachuca. He soon fell in love with the region and upon his discharge found a job as a schoolteacher in nearby Bisbee. Now a university professor and respected poet living in Tucson, still in love with the Southwestern deserts, Shelton sets off for Bisbee on a not-uncommon day trip. Along the way, he reflects on the history of the area, on the beauty of the landscape, and on his own life.
Couched within the narrative of his journey are passages revealing Shelton's deep familiarity with the region's natural and human history. Whether conveying the mystique of tarantulas or describing the mountain-studded topography, he brings a poet's eye to this seemingly desolate country. His observations on human habitation touch on Tombstone, "the town too tough to die," on ghost towns that perhaps weren't as tough, and on Bisbee itself, a once prosperous mining town now an outpost for the arts and a destination for tourists. What he finds there is both a broad view of his past and a glimpse of that city's possible future.
Going Back to Bisbee explores a part of America with which many readers may not be familiar. A rich store of information embedded in splendid prose, it shows that there are more than miles on the road to Bisbee.
Couched within the narrative of his journey are passages revealing Shelton's deep familiarity with the region's natural and human history. Whether conveying the mystique of tarantulas or describing the mountain-studded topography, he brings a poet's eye to this seemingly desolate country. His observations on human habitation touch on Tombstone, "the town too tough to die," on ghost towns that perhaps weren't as tough, and on Bisbee itself, a once prosperous mining town now an outpost for the arts and a destination for tourists. What he finds there is both a broad view of his past and a glimpse of that city's possible future.
Going Back to Bisbee explores a part of America with which many readers may not be familiar. A rich store of information embedded in splendid prose, it shows that there are more than miles on the road to Bisbee.
344 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 18, 2012
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Mr. Shelton's lovely non-fiction book never travels in a straight line, and the reader isn't going to get back to Bisbee any time soon. He rambles, digresses, and describes, explains and reflects, and throws in his own personal philosphy for good measure. And he anthropomorphizes. Boy, does he anthropomorphize, and not just animals but also his old van, buildings, plants, about anything that crosses his path. Since I tend to do that myself, I don't have a problem with it. And he encounters ghosts. I don't have a problem with that, either.
The author's love and respect for the southern Arizona desert makes this book a gem. I learned a bit of history of the area, about an early fort where the Buffalo Soldiers were sent, the Apaches who made the area so unsafe for settlers and miners, the booms and busts of mining in the area, and the resilience of the people who lived in and around Bisbee. I learned a great deal about this desert, and the things, sentient and otherwise, that populate it. And all in a wonderful, lyrical prose. I learned about the author and his tolerant wife, but this was not so much a memoir as it was a journey. The author apparently did not have an ideal childhood, but he did not delve into that part of his life, only alluded to it.
The author has respect for all the natural creatures of the desert, and his writing about our horrid treatment of coyotes, past and present, is especially poignant:
“I do not understand how the person who truly loves a dog, loves it enough sometimes to risk his or her life for it, can exterminate coyotes, the dog's cousin, in hideous and sadistic ways.”
“We love and cherish our dogs because they respond with loyalty and affection, and because they obey us. But the coyote, so much like the dog in appearance and even behavior, has refused to accept us as masters, has spurned us, and we can never forgive it.”
His stories of some of the children he taught can break a heart of stone. Mr. Shelton seems to be an idealist and a dreamer but also very down to earth, and the combination made this book highly readable for those of us who don't mind taking the long way 'round.
Mr. Shelton's lovely non-fiction book never travels in a straight line, and the reader isn't going to get back to Bisbee any time soon. He rambles, digresses, and describes, explains and reflects, and throws in his own personal philosphy for good measure. And he anthropomorphizes. Boy, does he anthropomorphize, and not just animals but also his old van, buildings, plants, about anything that crosses his path. Since I tend to do that myself, I don't have a problem with it. And he encounters ghosts. I don't have a problem with that, either.
The author's love and respect for the southern Arizona desert makes this book a gem. I learned a bit of history of the area, about an early fort where the Buffalo Soldiers were sent, the Apaches who made the area so unsafe for settlers and miners, the booms and busts of mining in the area, and the resilience of the people who lived in and around Bisbee. I learned a great deal about this desert, and the things, sentient and otherwise, that populate it. And all in a wonderful, lyrical prose. I learned about the author and his tolerant wife, but this was not so much a memoir as it was a journey. The author apparently did not have an ideal childhood, but he did not delve into that part of his life, only alluded to it.
The author has respect for all the natural creatures of the desert, and his writing about our horrid treatment of coyotes, past and present, is especially poignant:
“I do not understand how the person who truly loves a dog, loves it enough sometimes to risk his or her life for it, can exterminate coyotes, the dog's cousin, in hideous and sadistic ways.”
“We love and cherish our dogs because they respond with loyalty and affection, and because they obey us. But the coyote, so much like the dog in appearance and even behavior, has refused to accept us as masters, has spurned us, and we can never forgive it.”
His stories of some of the children he taught can break a heart of stone. Mr. Shelton seems to be an idealist and a dreamer but also very down to earth, and the combination made this book highly readable for those of us who don't mind taking the long way 'round.
October 17, 2021
The author of Going Back to Bisbee, Richard Shelton, was one of my writing instructors in graduate school – certainly one of the only instructors I care to remember. He was kind and generous, down-to-earth and honest, genuinely concerned about his students and curious about them, too. He also had a soul that seemed made of gold. These qualities come out in his writing, at least to me who got to know him – the voice in this work is distinctively his own, as is his interest in and knowledge of everything he writes about here. It’s a sometimes meandering, but always pleasant, journey to take as Shelton goes back to Bisbee and writes beautifully about it.
October 22, 2012
This meander through time and Southern Arizona is filled with reminiscence of the author's life, select pieces of history and tidbits of natural history. I loved it. It makes me want to go back to Bisbee, too. I have been to some of the places he mentions and I am familiar with Arizona's history and natural history, but I was amazed at how much I didn't know. I would love to tour Arizona with Richard Shelton as my guide - and I guess that is what I have just done. I heard about this book on one of my visits to Bisbee, and I am sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. It is going on a shelf of my favorite Southwest books.
August 13, 2016
Poet Richard Shelton has invited the reader to ride along with him in Blue Boy as Shelton travels through southeastern Arizona, from Tucson to Bisbee. Like a true educator and born storyteller he simply opens up a world that he loves to the reader, sharing the history, people, geography and his own experiences as we ramble along, sometimes in the present, sometimes in the past. I happen to be in southeastern Arizona visiting a friend for a couple of weeks, and the passages have allowed me to more fully experience the beauty around me and appreciate the history of the area. I love the book and if I could recommend only one read of the region, this would be it.
November 6, 2014
In this long-heralded memoir, Shelton accomplishes many things. For one, he takes the reader on an extended journey, not only over his life on this earth, but, citing sources, he also brings an awareness to us of the fascinating town that is Bisbee, Arizona. He achieves a certain paradox by seemingly moving forward through time and backward at the same time. Shelton seems to know so much. He knows botany.
He knows archeology.
He knows history.
Richard Shelton knows, of course, literature, a great big chunk of it from the Greeks, to prose, to poetry.
My favorite chapter may be Chapter Ten, in which he relates what his first year of teaching in Bisbee’s Lowell School—seventh and eighth graders—is like for a young man who has already served time in the army. He’s not wet behind the ears, and yet he is honest enough to admit how astounded he is by the experience, how profoundly it affects him. He develops enough courage to tell off a rather officious faculty member who seems to have been after him since his first day (every school has a Molly Bendixon):
I love this guy! Not only for his courage, but he goes on to say that when Ms. Bendixon is ill and in the hospital, he makes a point of visiting her. They do not speak of the incident but instead share a kind of camaraderie, just the two of them against all the other stupid sons of bitches in their school, the world at large. Yes, courage on the one hand, but also compassion on the other. Makes for great teaching.
Having made a visit to Bisbee myself, about ten years ago, I consider Shelton’s book my trip back to Bisbee, too. I can visualize so very much that he puts before the reader, and I can see the town in a different light. If, like me, you’ve never read Shelton’s book, check it out. Still available in fine bookstores everywhere! Click on title above. I wish to thank my friend Peter for turning me on to this book, in fact, for getting me my copy!
“The popular, as opposed to scientific, names for plants and animals are often based on figurative language, the language of impression and comparison, the language of poetry. These names are descriptive, concrete, highly compressed, and usually require some kind of imaginative leap. I am not a linguist, but it seems to me that the more ‘primitive’ a language is by our standards, the more it relies on such names” (16).
He knows archeology.
He knows history.
“Gradually, a terrible tension developed between life as it was actually lived in Bisbee and the deeply felt moral, spiritual, and religious impulses of the day. Starting just before the last decade of the nineteenth century and lasting until well after World War I, most of the non-Hispanic residents of Bisbee were trapped between the hardships of life in a small Western mining community, including the horrors of mining itself, and the pressures of an uncompromising Calvinist God. It is no wonder that those two pressures, one from below and one from above, created a society that was basically fatalistic and often hypocritical. The wonder is that the society survived at all” (265). That’s Bisbee!
Richard Shelton knows, of course, literature, a great big chunk of it from the Greeks, to prose, to poetry.
My favorite chapter may be Chapter Ten, in which he relates what his first year of teaching in Bisbee’s Lowell School—seventh and eighth graders—is like for a young man who has already served time in the army. He’s not wet behind the ears, and yet he is honest enough to admit how astounded he is by the experience, how profoundly it affects him. He develops enough courage to tell off a rather officious faculty member who seems to have been after him since his first day (every school has a Molly Bendixon):
“Whatever it was, it caused me to be late getting the roll taken, and I had just turned to that task when the door opened and Molly Bendixon walked in abruptly.
‘Where’s your absence report?’ she demanded. ‘They’re waiting for it in the office. It’s holding everybody up. Haven’t you been told that you’re supposed to take the roll first thing and get it down there?’ Her tone was sarcastic and patronizing.
‘I’m just taking it now,’ I said. ‘I’ll have it down there right away.’ I was furious but determined not to show it in front of the students. Molly turned and marched out, and I followed her, closing the door behind us. I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet, and my anger was getting the upper hand. ‘Miss Bendixon,’ I said, ‘let me explain something.’ She sighed and turned, evidently expecting an excuse. ‘My classroom is off limits to you. You are never again to enter it unless I invite you. And if you ever humiliate me in front of my students again, I will knock you on your ass. You can tell that to the principal if you want to, and if you don’t believe me, try me.’
I went back to my classroom and slammed the door, hard. Several of the students had slipped up to the door and had been straining to hear what I was saying to Molly, but they scuttled back to their seats when I came in, and everybody was very quiet.”
I love this guy! Not only for his courage, but he goes on to say that when Ms. Bendixon is ill and in the hospital, he makes a point of visiting her. They do not speak of the incident but instead share a kind of camaraderie, just the two of them against all the other stupid sons of bitches in their school, the world at large. Yes, courage on the one hand, but also compassion on the other. Makes for great teaching.
Having made a visit to Bisbee myself, about ten years ago, I consider Shelton’s book my trip back to Bisbee, too. I can visualize so very much that he puts before the reader, and I can see the town in a different light. If, like me, you’ve never read Shelton’s book, check it out. Still available in fine bookstores everywhere! Click on title above. I wish to thank my friend Peter for turning me on to this book, in fact, for getting me my copy!
January 10, 2013
If you were to read only one book about what it's like to live in Southern Arizona, this is the one--a classic in every sense of the word.
Shelton's years of teaching poetry at the University of Arizona come through in every paragraph. But it's not only the beautifully written prose; it's also rich in both history and environment. Even if you've spent a lifetime in the Sonora Desert you a bound to learn a lot you didn't know in Going Back to Bisbee.
Shelton's years of teaching poetry at the University of Arizona come through in every paragraph. But it's not only the beautifully written prose; it's also rich in both history and environment. Even if you've spent a lifetime in the Sonora Desert you a bound to learn a lot you didn't know in Going Back to Bisbee.
February 16, 2019
The term “creative nonfiction” is almost an insult to this little treasure of a classic. Should be mandatory reading for everyone who travels to this part of the world. Shelton is a beautiful writer and very funny.
December 2, 2020
A resident of central Arizona, I have been to Bisbee only once. This book opened a whole new way of looking at this mysterious, sparsely populated part of the state. I especially appreciate his descriptions of coyotes and particular desert plants. This book was hard to put down, flowing one part into another smoothly. The descriptions are so clear I could paint them if I had that ability. His humor is delightful and gentle. I was reading in bed and had to hold my laughter many times to avoid waking my spouse. I recommend it to anyone who lives here or comes through as a visitor. It will certainly enrich your Arizona experience.
February 1, 2014
I've lived in Arizona (Tucson) and have visited Bisbee several times. Shelton description of the area and the history along the way to Bisbee confirms why I am falling in love with Arizona. His depiction of the once-booming mining town and it's geography, the struggles for the community to remain vital and the art community it has become, gives insight into how a small town near the Mexican border is making its way.
January 15, 2023
I thought I had written a review, but if so GR lost it :-[
So the review to read here is Susan's. She rates it 4.5 stars, liked it a lot, and it's the most popular review here. Excellent book: 5 stars, and I don't give many of those.
On my Reread sometime list. Which keeps growing!
So the review to read here is Susan's. She rates it 4.5 stars, liked it a lot, and it's the most popular review here. Excellent book: 5 stars, and I don't give many of those.
On my Reread sometime list. Which keeps growing!
May 19, 2009
Extremely good and creatively written. Probably because the author is a creative writing professor at U of A. Love the Southwest; love this book!
May 27, 2012
What a lovely book! I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of southern Arizona geography and ecology.
November 3, 2014
I really learned a lot about SE Arizona from this book. I love learning the histories of places I visit or live in.
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July 25, 2023Had I but known this book was structured around a drive on the back roads from Tucson to Bisbee, Arizona, I would never have put off reading it this long. But it came at a good time anyway, now that so many of those roads and valleys and mountains are familiar to me, and it was a perfect #monsoonread that takes place during this season.
Richard Shelton passed away within the last year and was celebrated in a way I didn’t quite understand, although I knew he was foundational faculty of my Creative Writing program. And now I do understand, at least a bit, the way he poked around this place and tried to learn from it. He left his mark on it not so much as a mover or shaker but as someone who made it his home, someone who invested. He’s pretty old school and sometimes made shortsighted by nostalgia, but I often admire his writing in spite of myself. The journalistic impulse to tell it like it is, the poetic impulse to make it pretty. I once assigned the first chapter to my students, who actually read it (!) and liked it way more than I anticipated. That’s a high compliment Mr. Shelton could appreciate.
Richard Shelton passed away within the last year and was celebrated in a way I didn’t quite understand, although I knew he was foundational faculty of my Creative Writing program. And now I do understand, at least a bit, the way he poked around this place and tried to learn from it. He left his mark on it not so much as a mover or shaker but as someone who made it his home, someone who invested. He’s pretty old school and sometimes made shortsighted by nostalgia, but I often admire his writing in spite of myself. The journalistic impulse to tell it like it is, the poetic impulse to make it pretty. I once assigned the first chapter to my students, who actually read it (!) and liked it way more than I anticipated. That’s a high compliment Mr. Shelton could appreciate.
July 22, 2017
I saw this book in Bookman's in Flagstaff--It is a required stop on our quarterly trips between Salt Lake City and Phoenix. After passing it several times, I picked the book up when I noticed the Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction (1992). I was lost in the first chapter and the ending is weak (why is Bisbee now an art colony?). But everything in between was beautiful. I could smell the ironwood after a rain shower (in Las Vegas we called it creosote). The animals were old friends.
There are many anecdotes and trivia that go along with a travel book. Shelton writes like Bill Bryson with less humor. There is a bit of biography, botany and zoology presented in a car trip from Tuscon to Bisbee. I wanted to know the stories in between the anecdotes. What was the impetus for leaving Bisbee in 1960? How did he end up in Tuscon and UA? How did he stay in contact with his old teaching colleagues?
There are many anecdotes and trivia that go along with a travel book. Shelton writes like Bill Bryson with less humor. There is a bit of biography, botany and zoology presented in a car trip from Tuscon to Bisbee. I wanted to know the stories in between the anecdotes. What was the impetus for leaving Bisbee in 1960? How did he end up in Tuscon and UA? How did he stay in contact with his old teaching colleagues?
May 6, 2020
Rambling around and exploring in southeastern Arizona. Gave this a 3 but if you aren't interested in a meandering tale, it would be a 2. It would be fun to crawl through the mesquite and find the vestiges of earlier mines, towns, and more ancient village sites. I didn't know they would be covered up so fast. My favorite sections are his army time and his first two years teaching junior high in Bisbee.
There are several interesting characters and my favorite was fellow teacher Molly Bendixon.
There are several interesting characters and my favorite was fellow teacher Molly Bendixon.
April 23, 2023
The reason I enjoyed this book is because my wife and I actually stayed in Bisbee for a few nights a short while ago, and while there, visited many of the areas Shelton refers to in his book. We toured the Queen underground mine, which was fascinating. We saw the open pit mines, which are huge and deep. We saw the tailings from the strip mining operations. And we saw the art galleries and shops he discusses in the book. We really enjoyed our stay in Bisbee, and this book brought back many pleasant memories.
January 2, 2018
Interesting history, creatively written
I enjoyed this book about nearby Bisbee. I learned the history of the area and new information about plants, to my surprise. Sometimes I could hardly breathe, laughing so hard. Other parts are like poetry, to be expected from a poet. Fun book to read!
I enjoyed this book about nearby Bisbee. I learned the history of the area and new information about plants, to my surprise. Sometimes I could hardly breathe, laughing so hard. Other parts are like poetry, to be expected from a poet. Fun book to read!
September 21, 2019
I did enjoy this book, however at time I lost interest. I did skip that last two chapters.
I cannot imagine that someone who doesn't live in AZ or has not visited this area would be interested in this book. But being it that I live in Phoenix, I did enjoy it . Lots of fun anecdotes, and history. I do need to take a road trip to Bisbee.
I cannot imagine that someone who doesn't live in AZ or has not visited this area would be interested in this book. But being it that I live in Phoenix, I did enjoy it . Lots of fun anecdotes, and history. I do need to take a road trip to Bisbee.
July 31, 2022
This book came into my hands by happy accident & I feel like I've made a new friend & discovered a new place. Shelton weaves together insightful observations & a deep understanding of the natural history & history of Southern Arizona with his memoir and reflection on making a meaningful life, all seasoned with a wry sense of humor.
April 12, 2018
A quirky, yet very readable 'travel-log' from Tucson to Bisbee, Arizona with incredible detours through time, flora and fauna, desert inhabitants, rivers, natives, mining, personal history. For those who want to learn something about southern Arizona - this is a great book.
July 9, 2018
The story meanders like a braided desert river or memory. Most of the time the reflections are lyrical, but at times bogs down in irrelevant detail, especially about Bisbee. As a life-long desert rat, I loved the descriptions of place.
September 2, 2018
I live in Tucson and this book is about a drive to Bisbee, all about the animals, plants, ghost stories, old mining camps, etc. that are interesting to someone from here. Don't know how interested someone from elsewhere would be.
March 12, 2019
What a beautiful book. A must read if you live in Southern Arizona. It will make you laugh and tear up. I work in the mining industry and the last chapter gave me some food for thought. You will come away half in love with Bisbee.
December 24, 2022
A story not just about Shelton going back to Bisbee but he reminisces about various things on his trip back.The reason why he is going back to Bisbee is not nearly as interesting as the stories he tells about the ghost towns, flora and fauna, storms and Bisbee history.
August 29, 2025
I real love letter to Southern Arizona. Well written, poetic descriptions, but the detailed histories and discussions of flora and fauna felt tedious at times. And I live in Arizona! Was fun to get more details about Bisbee though but that is at the very end of the book.
December 14, 2018
An interesting read about the land between Tucson Arizona and Bisbee, Arizona. The author includes bits of information about the history of the area.
June 3, 2019
laborious
July 20, 2019
If you live in or love Southern AZ, this book will deepen your love and knowledge of the region.
January 16, 2020
Fun read from an interesting man. Now I know better than to wrestle a yucca from a Christmas tree.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews