James Koenig’s Reviews > Texas > Status Update

Every chapter is a mini-novel. The one I'm reading now is called: The Invaders - it refers to Mexicans illegally crossing the Rio Grande river into Texas, AND the invasion of the armadillo from Mexico into Texas. Michener sure can tell a great informational story. His characters are relatable and so real! Wonderful book - one of his best.

The chapter on the oil boom in the little town of Larkin, Texas was phenomenal! Religious revivals, the KKK, politics, the oilmen, high school football, and the saving of the Texas Longhorns, were all expertly intertwined by the masterful Michener. My eyes watered on the last page as Emma Larkin sped back to Texas to die on Texas soil. Unforgettable!

Each chapter is a time capsule of Texas history with Michener's compelling characters. I enjoyed the chapter, "Frontier", which featured the cattle drives of RJ Poteet, of Centennial fame. The Emma Larkin story, the little girl captured by Comanche who burned off her ears and nose, rescued, and then restored to civilized life with a wooden nose and marriage to Earnshaw Rusk was a fascinating read in this epic book.

A fascinating history of Texas, Mexico, and the United States. Texas was its own country from 1836-1945, after Texans defeated General Antonio Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Texas joined the union in 1945, and then the U.S. under General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott fought Mexico (and Santa Anna again) and wrestled away New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.