“Arizona Chimichangas”
by Rita Connelly (The History Press — American Palate Series). $21.99 paperback; $9.99 Kindle
In 2011 the state Legislature had the opportunity to declare the chimichanga Arizona’s official state food, enshrining it alongside the state’s signature reptile, gemstone, and neck-wear. But they declined to act, despite popular support. It was an epic fail, and Rita Connelly’s book on the life and times of Arizona’s quintessential nosh demonstrates why. A noted Tucson food writer with an ear for a good anecdote, Connelly serves up well-researched culinary history seasoned with humor, beginning with chimichanga creation myths. Many restaurants claim the honor of having originated this dish, but most agree it happened when a burro accidentally landed in some hot cooking oil. Naming rights are also addressed: what does chimichanga mean, anyway? Many restaurateurs were interviewed and Connelly shares the backstories of their — often-historic — eateries, as well as their trademark chimichanga presentations. A list of chimichanga-serving restaurants statewide is a helpful addition, as is a selection of recipes. But, the best reason to read this compact book is because it’s so much fun: it made me nostalgic for Tucson’s foodie past, and I didn’t even grow up here.
— Helene Woodhams
“The Crossings” by Deborah Larsen
“The Crossings”
by Deborah Larsen (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform). $17.95
On the approach to the Tucson airport, a dark-eyed woman jumps from her seat, shouting a threat that chills the passengers on the Boeing 737. In that instant, reticent Sophie Nordlund knows she cannot remain one of life’s onlookers. She rises and moves towards the woman, a symbolic first step on the path to self-awareness that leads to her new home in the Sonoran Desert. Sophie plans to spend her golden years here, far from her familiar life in the East; she’ll write a mystery, be more active. Her inspiration for living outside of her comfort zone comes — rather surprisingly — from Charles Darwin. She reads voraciously about the naturalist and evolutionary scientist, falling in love with his graceful, brilliant writing. He becomes the lodestar illuminating her way, putting to rest crises of faith that have dogged her past. With this provocative blend of fiction and nonfiction, Deborah Larsen turns the concept of the spiritual journey on its head: science informs theology, free will creeps into creation, and change is not only good, it’s positively blessed. There’s plenty to think about in this hopeful, engaging book. Larsen, who lives near Madera Canyon, is professor emerita at Gettysburg College. She is also the author of “The White,” “The Tulip and the Pope” and “Stitching Porcelain.”
— Helene Woodhams
“Going Widdershins” by Sherrye Cohn
“Going Widdershins”
by Sherrye Cohn (Repertoire Publishing). $12 paperback; $4.99 Kindle
“Widdershins” means counterclockwise—like earth’s orbit around the sun. It can also mean taking a direction opposite to the accepted norm, and that’s a good description of Summerland, an unorthodox women’s care facility that is the setting for Sherrye Cohn’s sensitive novel about the healing benefits of nature’s sacred rhythms. Emilena Lamb, by all accounts a good homemaker and devoted churchgoer, inexplicably arrives at a psychiatric hospital in the throes of a crisis. She is, by turns, catatonic, violent and anguished: hysteria is diagnosed. Although her doctors are stymied, alert readers will note that the novel is set in the pre-feminist, bad old days of 1958: Emilena’s single-minded adherence to soul-killing cultural norms caused her to literally — and painfully — lose her sense of self. Modern medicine can’t help, and threatens to do more harm than good, but when Emilena is admitted to Summerland for treatment, events take a surprising turn. Cohn, who lives in Tucson, is the author of three books; this is her first novel and was inspired by practices in contemporary Pagan communities in the Sonoran Desert.
— Helene Woodhams
“Prosecuting the President” by Andrew Ooan
“Prosecuting the President: How Special Prosecutors Hold Presidents Accountable and Protect the Rule of Law”
by Andrew Coan (Oxford University Press). $27.95; $9.99 Kindle
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation has concluded, and if you’re not clear about what’s been going down — or why — you’re not alone. Luckily, Andrew Coan has written a timely and engaging book about the often-misunderstood role of special prosecutors, explaining their place in American politics and addressing legal questions raised by their work. Special prosecutors are appointed in the presence of a political scandal; their job is to ensure that no one, not even the highest government official, is above the law. It’s no easy task: some special prosecutors have navigated the treacherous shoals between politics and the rule of law and made their mark on history; others have emerged with their careers in tatters. It’s a complicated business, but don’t mistake this book for some dry explication on Constitutional law. Written for a general audience, the narrative is lively, filled with thought-provoking insights and historical context (for instance, America’s first special prosecutor was appointed in 1875 when Ulysses S. Grant’s administration ran into some trouble involving, perhaps not surprisingly, whiskey). Coan, a leading expert on the role and authority of special prosecutors, is a professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. “Prosecuting the President” is a finalist for the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award for best book of the year.
— Helene Woodhams
“Oracle” by Dr. Michael T. Mayo
“Oracle”
by Michael T. Mayo (Queens Army LLC), $19.95. “Robin” by Sonja Sjorgensen, transcribed by Michael T. Mayo (Queens Army LLC). $19.95
Dedicated to “the memory of my past and future lives and to all of my fellow travelers who shared those lives with me,” Michael T. Mayo’s “Oracle” is a collection of automatic writings from the years 1997 and 1998. Tucson dentist Mayo writes that he would wake in the night and transcribe in the dark “what was presented” to him. The result is a mélange of voices that suggest he deliver messages and advice to humanity. Voices include the “Oracle,” a ship’s surgeon, Jesus Christ, Edgar Cayce, and Diana, Princess of Wales, Dr. Seuss, and the angel Truman. Their advice addresses right and healthy living, self-awareness, and eschewing traditional religions.
Also recently published by Michael T. Mayo is “Robin,” another product of automatic writings. This collection of poems is said to be the channeling of a being named Robin, also known as Sonja Sjorgensen, who died of a fever early in life. According to the introduction, William Shakespeare also channeled Sonja Sjorgensen. The text, dealing with life and death, has strong elements of Elizabethan English.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“Secret Unto Death” by Emmett K. Smelser
“Secret Unto Death”
by Emmett K. Smelser (CreateSpace). 12.99 paperback; $7.99 Kindle
You know the adage about a woman scorned? Well, add to that “a hillbilly dissed,” and you’ve got the gist of this new thriller by Emmet K. Smelser. In “Secret Unto Death,” mild-mannered lawyer Grant Russell is living his ideal life in a picturesque Iowa town. Partner in his father-in-law’s law firm; husband to a gracious hostess wife; father of two pony-riding daughters, Grant is the happy denizen of comfortable, family-centered, advantaged America. That is, until he confronts a couple of drunken meth-head cousins mowing down mailboxes in his neighborhood. And until the sexy lawyer comes to town. Comfortable gets uncomfortable when Grant turns in the cousins, and Grant (barely) rebuffs the advances of the lawyer. At that point, the scorned join forces, action picks up, and uncharacteristic, hellish fury rains down on Acton, Iowa. Interestingly, our vanilla boy Grant proves not immune to engaging it. There’s something about the injustice of white privilege at play here. Tucson journalist-turned novelist Smelser says the premise for “Secret Unto Death” was suggested by a personal experience. You’d kill to know what that was.
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
“Straight Arrow” by Robert H. Kruse
“Straight Arrow”
by Robert H. Kruse (Robert H. Kruse). $11.99 paperback; $4.99 Kindle
“Two rich men, privileged and powerful, believe the law applies only to poor people. And things like murder and kidnapping are ‘negotiable’ with the authorities,” reads the description of this novel by Oro Valley resident Robert H. Kruse. Kruse avers that he never wanted to be a writer, “but is surprised at what pops into his mind and pours out onto a page.” Kruse’s second adult novel, “Straight Arrow” is set in the fictional town of Reading, Arizona, where a large cast pursues a wide variety of activities, and “two rich men” exert their privilege.
— Christine Wald- Hopkins
“Unbound” by Sussex County Avant Garde, Inc. has five different covers for readers to choose from.
“Unbound”
by Sussex County Avant Garde, Inc. (Piltdown Man Publishing). $7.95
The local creative collaboration previously known as “jokeharmonica” and “heypedro!” has done it again: produced an affecting parable in quirkily innovative form. Now known as “Sussex,” they have come up with “Unbound,” a fully handcrafted, cautionary tale about greed and environmental and social exploitation. It’s told (are you ready?) through a box of 96 playing cards. Each card has a double-sided black and white, hand-drawn illustration, and hand-written text. When you put them in order they tell a sweet but sad tale of resurrecting a deserted little town through ideas and nature. As in real life, it’s hard for fragile ideas and nature to stand up to corporate greed. The text in “Unbound” is clean and clever; its simple line drawings evolve from inchoate scribbles to darkening figures as the narrative unfolds. As in the collaborators’ earlier books, (“there once was a man” and “and so…[a not so “color me” adventure”]), it has a knowing but gentle way of looking at the meaning of life. And about this disarming presentation: Who couldn’t love a book that gets liberated from a binding, and shuffled out of a box?
— Christine Wald-Hopkins
