Barren, Wild, and Worthless: Living in the Chihuahuan Desert
Susan J. Tweit
University of Arizona Press, 2003
Paperbound, $17.95
Through her stories and the stories inherent in the land, we come not only to feel this country, but to believe in its dry, bony presence as a place of miracles and wild wisdom. She reminds us of the magic of biology with her keen eyes and bright mind. -- Terry Tempest Williams
There's often little to this terrain, but to the author it's a beautiful landscape bursting with stories and wildlife, with big cities and small chunks of quietness found in other places on earth. -- Book Talk
Gets my nomination for one of the greatest titles ever for this book about the Southwest. .... This collection of essays on the Chihuahuan Desert... is as welcome as a drink of cool spring water after hiking up Tortugas Mountain in 110-degree heat. -- Southwest Book Views
It is a hot Friday evening in late spring, and my husband, Richard, and I are on the loose. Fridays are our date nights--no matter what comes, we reserve Friday evenings for ourselves, leaving our teenage daughter, Molly, at home with a book and a TV dinner. Usually by the time that date hour arrives on Friday night we are so exhausted by our roles and parents and by our fulltime outside careers that we can only summon the energy for dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. But this night, we are determined to get out of town, to explore this new-to-us Chihuahuan desert landscape. We've packed a picnic dinner and are headed out into the desert with all of the car windows rolled down. The sun is midway toward the western horizon, but it is June, and that means hot. It is 5:30 in the evening and the temperature is 103 degrees F, down from the day's high of 110 degrees.
BUY the book from the publisher, or at your local bookstore.
