Guest Review by Tom Clagett

History
To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West
By Mark Lee Gardner
William Morrow
336 pages, hardcover, $26.99

In the history of the American West, the saga of Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett ranks as one of the most famous and contentious. To this day, debate continues as to whether or not Garrett killed the Kid on the night of July 14, 1881, at Fort Sumner, in the Territory of New Mexico. The dozens of books and films produced about the outlaw and the lawman reflect the fascination they still hold.

Other books about the Kid and Garrett have concentrated on one or the other. Using archival and oral accounts, Mark Lee Gardner, professor of Southwest Studies at Colorado College, is the first to chronicles the lives of both men in a single volume, and his book is an engaging, fast-paced overview of this story of justice and injustice in the Old West. Gardner alternates accounts of the lives of the Kid and Garrett, from Billy’s first killings to Garrett’s arrest of him at Stinking Springs, to the Kid’s bloody escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse, to Garrett’s dogged pursuit, climaxing in their collision that fateful night of July 14. Gardner concludes with the downward spiral of Garrett’s life and the conspiracy surrounding his murder.

It’s curious how Gardner and other authors contradict each other in their accounts of the Kid’s life. For example, in his description of the shoot-out at Stinking Springs between Billy and his cohorts and Garrett and his deputies, Gardner agrees with Michael Wallis, author of Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride (W. W. Norton & Company, 2007), that when the Kid tried to bring the horses tethered outside into the stone house, so that he and his confederates could mount up and escape, the first horse was killed and blocked the doorway. But much later in his book, Gardner confusingly reveals that two horses were already inside the house. Early on in Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman (University of Oklahoma Press, 1974), Leon Metz states that the horses were inside. Metz and Wallis agree that when Billy escaped from the Lincoln County Courthouse; a friend had left a pistol for him in the privy, which he then used to shoot Deputy Bell. Gardner, however, believes that the Kid grappled with Bell, then shot him with the deputy’s own gun.

Authorial interpretation aside, Gardner presents no new information in To Hell on a Fast Horse—no lost diary has been unearthed. The lives of both men have been well examined, particularly the Kid’s, given that little is known of his doings before 1870. But, as Billy the Kid expert Frederick Nolan has stated, “Doubtless the search for Billy will go on.”

Even so, the question persists: Why another book about these legendary men? A friend once observed that you don’t learn about ambition or revenge or love from reading textbooks—you learn about them from reading Shakespeare. Perhaps the same applies to the story of Billy the Kid, who had bad mixed with good, and Pat Garrett, who had good mixed with bad.

Tom Clagett, a member of the Western Writers of America, lives in Santa Fe.

 

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Book Briefs by Ashley M. Biggers

Historical Fiction
Dead Lizard's Dance: A Tale of Love, Murder and Witchery in Old Santa Fe
Pamela Christie
Lone Butte Press
To order: wilddogbooks@cnsp.com
387 pages, paperback, $14.95

Dead Lizard’s Dance fictionalizes a turbulent period in New Mexican history: In the midst of the American Revolutionary War, Spain and England are facing off around the globe, while in the Land of Enchantment the embattled Spanish wage war against the formidable Natives. Pamela Christie’s novel about this unstable period opens with the discovery by Nando, her Spanish-Ute sleuth, of a dead man hung cruelly by his elbows—at the time, a typical method for killing a witch. When the body then mysteriously disappears and more unusual deaths occur, the Santa Fe of 1782 descends into turmoil. As Nando crosses between the Spanish and Native worlds in pursuit of the killers, he delves into Santa Fe’s underworld in an intriguing tale of betrayal, greed, and murder. Christie’s writing tends to tell more than show, but fans of the historical fiction genre and those curious about this period should find Dead Lizard’s Dance enjoyable. The book is Christie’s follow-up to The King’s Lizard: A Tale of Murder and Deception in Old Santa Fe (Lone Butte Press, 2004), in which Nando is also the protagonist, and which won the 2007 Zia Book Award of the New Mexico Press Women’s Association.

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Children's
Shoes for the Santo Niño/Zapatitos Para el Santo Niño
By Peggy Pond Church, Illustrated by Charles M. Carrillo
Rio Grande Books
64 pages, paperback, $19.95

In the Roman Catholic tradition, and particularly among Hispanic and Native American Catholics in northern New Mexico, Santo Niño (the Christ child) is thought to heal children. Figurines of the saint are believed to leave church altars at night to visit ailing children—the devout leave children’s shoes at his shrines to ensure that he can continue his travels. In this story, Julianita, the youngest of 11 siblings, diligently crafts a pair of shoes for Santo Niño. Unlike her family, Julianita believes that the saint departs the church not to help children, but to gambol about the countryside—just as she dearly wishes she could do herself. Once Julianita delivers the shoes, Santo Niño springs to life, and together the two explore the llano (plains), in this magical tale rich in cultural significance. Tales such as this have been shared among New Mexican families for centuries, and this one is well worth picking up so that your own family can continue the tradition. Originally written in the 1930s by famed New Mexico author Peggy Pond Church, probably best known for The House at Otowi Bridge: The Story of Edith Warner and Los Alamos (University of New Mexico Press, 1959), Shoes for the Santo Niño was lost for almost seven decades. Here it is brought back to life with watercolor illustrations by Santa Fe santero Charles M. Carrillo. Recommended for children ages five to seven.

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Memoir
Me and the Biospheres: A Memoir by the Inventor of Biosphere 2
By John Allen
Synergetic Press
336 pages, paperback, $39.95

Though the word biosphere is used to describe the part of the world in which life can exist, it also brings to mind an image of a steel-and-glass structure built to replicate and teach us more about life on Earth. As author John Allen recounts, this futuristic structure and progressive research project at the University of Arizona was the culmination, not the commencement, of his lifelong love of nature. Most readers who pick up this book will likely be craving in-depth accounts of Allen’s two years inside the structure in 1991–1993, but such details are scant; Me and the Biospheres contains more backstory and details of planning than insider descriptions. However, from this account emerges a more complete portrait of Allen: an engineer, world traveler, visionary, and a fairly engaging storyteller. One noteworthy chapter describes his organic research farm at Synergia Ranch, which he established in the 1960s outside Santa Fe, and where he and his team reside today. In this era of climate change and the ever-increasing environmental impact of human activities, Me and the Biospheres shows that human ingenuity can also be our greatest asset in protecting, preserving, and celebrating the original biosphere: Earth.

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Religion/Art
Sacred Feminine: Sacred Images of the Southwest & the Development of the Feminine Principles in New Mexican Folkloric Art
By Judith McLaughlin
Rio Grande Books
224 pages, paperback, $17.95

Ever since Spanish Colonial times, santos—the sacred folk-art figures depicting Roman Catholic saints that are the objects of daily prayer and community celebration in New Mexico—have helped carry on the faith in this rugged area. Although much research has been devoted to santos, the artists who make them (santeros), and the creation of these devotional figures, little attention has been paid to the role of feminine symbolism and iconography in this tradition. In Sacred Feminine, author Judith McLaughlin helps to remedy this oversight. She explores santeros’ depictions of Mary, the mother of Jesus and the key feminine figure in the Catholic tradition, as well as how the glorification of these feminine figures affected the roles of women in Spanish Colonial society. To illustrate the concepts discussed, the book includes many photographs of santos, bultos, and retablos; however, McLaughlin fails to pinpoint the connections between the specific pieces presented and the concepts she describes. Additionally, these pieces of religious folk art are presented in black-and-white, which doesn’t allow the reader to fully appreciate their colorful beauty. On the whole, however, Sacred Feminine—which won the 2009 New Mexico Book Award for Best Religious Book—is a fascinating look at this artistic tradition that both scholars and art fans will appreciate.

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Business
There's No Crying in Business: How Women Can Succeed in Male-Dominated Industries
By Roxanne Rivera
Palgrave Macmillan
188 pages, hardcover, $39.95

“Sure, the inequality gap between men and women in the workforce continues to close,” says author Roxanne Rivera. “But the hard reality is that often women still have to work harder and smarter to get the respect and proverbial piece of the pie they deserve.” Here, Rivera offers advice about fitting in without having to join the good ol’ boys’ club, overcoming stereotypes (such as women being overly emotional), and learning to say “no.” She also recounts stories from the front lines that personalize her advice and inspire. The counsel offered here is that of a woman in the know: In 1981, using her personal savings, Rivera cofounded a company in the male-dominated construction industry. With such clients as the U.S. Department of Defense, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Intel Corp., Rivera grew her business into a multi-million-dollar firm widely recognized for its excellence and is now president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Mexico. The tools and strategies contained in this eminently readable handbook constitute a roadmap for women navigating the world of business.

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