Independence

by Susan Wells Bennett

Originally published as part of a regional magazine in 2007, this short prize-winning essay is a true account of an event that has shaped my life.

Nook

First published September 20, 2010

About the author

Born in 1971, I am a third-generation native Arizonan. My grandfather’s family arrived here from Missouri in 1912, just after Arizona became a state. Thanks to his stories and those of my other family members, I know how Arizona used to be and how it is today.

I have lived in and around Phoenix for most of my life, and I still wonder from time to time why anyone would choose to move here. Lately, though, I’ve looked around my hometown and realized that the most fascinating part of Phoenix is how willingly we adopt the strangers who, for one reason or another, choose to settle here. Surrounded by prickly saguaros, beaten down by the glaring sun, we gather here and choose our friends with no regard to their ethnic backgrounds or what neighborhood they grew up in.