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Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life
The editors of Texas Monthly explore what it means to be a Texan in this anthology packed with essays, reportage, recipes, and recommendations from their renowned list of contributors. Big hats, big trucks, big oil fortunes—Texas clichés all. And while those elements do flourish throughout Texas, they alone hardly define the place. The Lone Star State is and has always been a great melting pot, home to sprawling cities, trailblazing innovators, and treasured traditions from all over, many of which become ingrained in popular culture and intertwined with the American ideal. In this collection, the editors of Texas Monthly take stock of their multifaceted, larger-than-life state, including the people, customs, land, culture, and cuisine that have collided and comingled here. Featuring essays, reportage, recipes, and recommendations from the magazine’s legendary roster of contributors, and accompanied by original drawings, Being Texan explores the landscapes that are home to more than 29 million people; the joys and idiosyncrasies of Texan life; underappreciated episodes of Texas history; and distinctive strains of Texan arts and culture. Illuminating, surprising, and entertaining, Being Texan reveals the Lone Star State in all its beauty, vastness, and complexity.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2021
49 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 25, 2021
My heart is shaped like Texas
December 29, 2021
I really wanted to like this book as a born + raised Texan. What I thought would be a celebration of the different cultures and people who have contributed to Texas was disappointingly an ode to those who swindled Texas from Mexico. While they added a few Mexican American contributors who include poverty porn and Spanish words it grossly misrepresents many foods, neighborhoods and events as strictly Texan. I was very disappointed with this book as it does not adequately represent BIPOC history and contributions in Texas. It presents a very race neutral and gentrified view of Texas food, entertainment and history.
January 14, 2022
I really enjoyed reading and listening to this audiobook. The book is an eclectic collection of essays from the editors of Texas Monthly on topics like history, land areas, people, music, film, books, and food. I switched back and forth so I could more carefully take in the detailed lists, recipes, and other details included in the collection. If you enjoy Texan culture or what to learn more, this is a fun and insightful way to do it. This is one book I may consider buying a hard copy for myself or family.
December 22, 2021
Loved it! Need a gift for a Texan? This is it! Know sometime who has sadly moved away from the Lone Star state? Send them this book - it will both inspire and quell homesickness.
February 4, 2022
Listened to the audiobook. I think I need to buy the book to visit some of the places mentioned. :)
March 5, 2022
So much nostalgia for my home state!
"I didn't so much envy them as I just didn't see the point. I was pursing other interests. I wasn't going to wear lipstick or color my hair. I was reading Sahartha and protesting the construction of a freeway through town. My high school plan was to get the hell out of Texas and never come back. As it turned out, I did come back. And over the years I came to realize that the only person who thought I had to choose between role models was me."
"Maybe that was the secret of so many of the Texas women I admired: focus on the good times; the hard times will com again soon enough."
"The fact that hardly anyone in Texas remembers [his] name, that his story has been washed out by a thousand other stories of eccentricity, derangement, ambition, and chronic inability, indicates a political culture of uncommon excellence."
"About the worst thing you can say about politicians here is that they're boring."
"And while it's been decades since the last real gusher arched across the Texan skies you can still glimpse that wildcatter ethos, that sense of a single bullheaded iconoclast doing battle against a world of doubters..."
"The fact is when you've got 29,360,759 notoriously individualistic and wildly disparate people living amid more than 250,000 square miles of mega-cities, charming small towns, and anodyne suburbs it is pretty much guaranteed that you're going to find a few disagreements among them."
"Now in her eighties Wyatt is the grand dame of Texas style. Asked in a 2009 interview to define that je ne sais whaaaa that she pulled off so well she responded, "Style is a sign of creativity, of knowing who you are." The combination of artful living and confidence certainly seems to be the common denominator that I see in fashion expressions all across the state...can we overdo it at times? Yes! But while trends change, that Texas swagger stays the same."
"Stanley Marcus brought tastes of the outside world. In turn Texans learned much of what they might aspire to and were further inspired to claim their place on the world's fashion runway."
"Clothes may make the man. But they may also make the man look foolish."
"Understatement is not a quality for which Texas women are known."
"But somewhere in me there was still some inadequacy, a fear that I would touch something or do something wrong and ruin it all."
"I was between gigs that summer or maybe it would be more accurate to say between lives."
"If before his work had caught attention for it's unsparing portrayal of the state's agrarian identity, now he was lauded for so easily embracing Texas' emerging modernity."
Books:
Big wonderful thing
Pale horse, pale rider
"Too often writing about the Texas-Mexico border reduces the region to poverty porn, flattening a wide range of experiences into the same tired tropes about drug violence and immigrants searching for the american dream."
"A poignant ode to the state's vanishing wild places this tale hits even harder when read through the lens of the climate crisis."
"Michener's fictionalized history encompasses Texas in all its contradictions, complexities and larger than life characters."
"The very term 'Texas' is said to be derived from a Caddoan word signifying friend or ally."
"At its best Houston is about freedom. Freedom from dogma. Freedom from style. Freedom from the weight of history. The rules don't apply here for better and worse. Part of that sense of freedom comes from the fact that Houston flies well below the national radar, oddly so for a city of its size."
"Honky-Tonks, by contrast, tend to have roots as shallow as tumble weeds."
"Growing up eating mostly Indian food we had this understanding that everything on the plate was meant to be mixed together, that the perfect bite was always a mixture of the textures, flavors, and colors of various dishes."
"I didn't so much envy them as I just didn't see the point. I was pursing other interests. I wasn't going to wear lipstick or color my hair. I was reading Sahartha and protesting the construction of a freeway through town. My high school plan was to get the hell out of Texas and never come back. As it turned out, I did come back. And over the years I came to realize that the only person who thought I had to choose between role models was me."
"Maybe that was the secret of so many of the Texas women I admired: focus on the good times; the hard times will com again soon enough."
"The fact that hardly anyone in Texas remembers [his] name, that his story has been washed out by a thousand other stories of eccentricity, derangement, ambition, and chronic inability, indicates a political culture of uncommon excellence."
"About the worst thing you can say about politicians here is that they're boring."
"And while it's been decades since the last real gusher arched across the Texan skies you can still glimpse that wildcatter ethos, that sense of a single bullheaded iconoclast doing battle against a world of doubters..."
"The fact is when you've got 29,360,759 notoriously individualistic and wildly disparate people living amid more than 250,000 square miles of mega-cities, charming small towns, and anodyne suburbs it is pretty much guaranteed that you're going to find a few disagreements among them."
"Now in her eighties Wyatt is the grand dame of Texas style. Asked in a 2009 interview to define that je ne sais whaaaa that she pulled off so well she responded, "Style is a sign of creativity, of knowing who you are." The combination of artful living and confidence certainly seems to be the common denominator that I see in fashion expressions all across the state...can we overdo it at times? Yes! But while trends change, that Texas swagger stays the same."
"Stanley Marcus brought tastes of the outside world. In turn Texans learned much of what they might aspire to and were further inspired to claim their place on the world's fashion runway."
"Clothes may make the man. But they may also make the man look foolish."
"Understatement is not a quality for which Texas women are known."
"But somewhere in me there was still some inadequacy, a fear that I would touch something or do something wrong and ruin it all."
"I was between gigs that summer or maybe it would be more accurate to say between lives."
"If before his work had caught attention for it's unsparing portrayal of the state's agrarian identity, now he was lauded for so easily embracing Texas' emerging modernity."
Books:
Big wonderful thing
Pale horse, pale rider
"Too often writing about the Texas-Mexico border reduces the region to poverty porn, flattening a wide range of experiences into the same tired tropes about drug violence and immigrants searching for the american dream."
"A poignant ode to the state's vanishing wild places this tale hits even harder when read through the lens of the climate crisis."
"Michener's fictionalized history encompasses Texas in all its contradictions, complexities and larger than life characters."
"The very term 'Texas' is said to be derived from a Caddoan word signifying friend or ally."
"At its best Houston is about freedom. Freedom from dogma. Freedom from style. Freedom from the weight of history. The rules don't apply here for better and worse. Part of that sense of freedom comes from the fact that Houston flies well below the national radar, oddly so for a city of its size."
"Honky-Tonks, by contrast, tend to have roots as shallow as tumble weeds."
"Growing up eating mostly Indian food we had this understanding that everything on the plate was meant to be mixed together, that the perfect bite was always a mixture of the textures, flavors, and colors of various dishes."
April 3, 2022
A beautiful love letter to the state of Texas. As an immigrant, I grew up wanting nothing more than to leave Texas as soon as possible and now I've lived in the Lone Star state longer than anywhere else in the world. College was my first chance to leave but out-0f-state tuition forced me to be more pragmatic and I graciously landed at the state's flagship institute where my love and appreciation for the diversity of all that Texas has to offer began.
I was a little reluctant about this book given the overall white majority narrative that is centered around Texas history however right off the bat the editors and authors immediately addressed those and so began a beautiful collection of stories about immigrants, powerful women, food diversity (tacos, brisket, fried foods), West Texas, trucks, Juneteenth, high school football, swimming holes, wildflowers, art, music, Selena, beers, state pride etc.
The state has problems aplenty, but I would be remiss to not acknowledge the beauty of Texas too.
I was a little reluctant about this book given the overall white majority narrative that is centered around Texas history however right off the bat the editors and authors immediately addressed those and so began a beautiful collection of stories about immigrants, powerful women, food diversity (tacos, brisket, fried foods), West Texas, trucks, Juneteenth, high school football, swimming holes, wildflowers, art, music, Selena, beers, state pride etc.
The state has problems aplenty, but I would be remiss to not acknowledge the beauty of Texas too.
July 17, 2023
Ever wonder why Texans are obsessed with Whataburger? Or why Texans will always post pictures kneeling in bluebonnets? Why did helped the music of Willie Nelson and Beyonce thrive in the Lone Star State?
If you had any questions about Texas and their BIG influence, this book is a fun read of a diverse collection of essays from the editors of Texas Monthly on topics like history, people, music, film, books, cities and food.
What does it mean to be a Texan? Dive in with this enjoyable read.
If you had any questions about Texas and their BIG influence, this book is a fun read of a diverse collection of essays from the editors of Texas Monthly on topics like history, people, music, film, books, cities and food.
What does it mean to be a Texan? Dive in with this enjoyable read.
March 17, 2022
Very nice collection of essays about Texas that would offer even most Texans a fair bit of new information and perspective on the Lone Star State. I appreciate how the diversity of the state feels represented through this collection, and very little of it is trite or overwrought.
September 17, 2022
I have heard all kinds of stories about Texas and wanted to know more about the state, the people, the food, and habits of the the people. I learned a lot from the well researched book. I recommend reading this book.
December 14, 2023
This was a gift I received shortly after moving to Texas. It's a good smorgasbord of Texas history, culture and entertainment. Each of the writers captured a different aspect of Texas; those who wove their personal stories into it made for the best articles.
July 11, 2025
Finally finished “Being Texan” by The Editors of Texas Monthly! This collection of essays, recipes (just a few), and advice was great all in all. It took me a while to get through the essays. I am a native Texan so iykyk. We’re quirky! 🙄😅
March 26, 2022
Love that I found this on open display at Barnes and Noble in Farmington, UT. Made me homesick.
August 16, 2022
All the Texans and Texas transplants must read! Loooved everything about it. Listened to audio and bought the hard copy because I enjoyed it so much
September 12, 2023
Great little short stories by different authors. Referenced movies, books and songs about Texas. Learned a few new things.
April 14, 2025
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has called Texas their home, even briefly.
July 30, 2025
A delightful little read - in a state as big (and, increasingly, populated and diverse) as Texas, there are myriad ways in which one can claim Texan identity, and when properly rooted in the land (which is itself diverse too, an ecoregion wealth that amplifies Texanhood) all of them are valid. This lean towards "My Texas", as a popular Josh Abbot Band song puts it, is both appropriate and reflective of Texas as it really is and is further becoming today. In that sense, it does well to remember that this is a production by the editors of Texas Monthly - your opinion on that publication will undoubtedly shape your response to this book and it's stand on "Being Texan". For my money, I think they dp a great job. To be sure, proper attention/deference is given to certain "classic" Texas elements (BBQ, Boots, Big Bend, etc.) though I'm not one to judge if this is over- or under-done: indeed, for as much as some seem to deplore aspects of the anglo-cultural supremacy (and some aspects are indeed deplorable), to throw out the baby with the bathwater is both wrong and inaccurate to how many view the State. So many are attracted to its swagger and hegemony, that in through subversion they give it deference - and that emphasis I feel is given good accord in the book. In particular, the emphasis on different landscapes/ecoregions and rural vs. urban Texas thoroughly grounds this book such that I think makes it valid - no one can disagree on that a desert is a desert and a coast is a coast. While there some characters and aspects covered in the book that either aren't my preference or that I downright disagree with, the fact that they all come from Texas is undeniable, and as such a reflection of Texan traits that I respect, and at the very least the shared Texan connection (the root of the whole identity - a shared connection to place despite the variety) strings it all together. A great read!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews