A Beautiful, Cruel Country

Rating:
Summary: Poetic woman's view of Arizona in the early 1900's.
Review: Eva Wilbur-Cruce describes memories as far back as when she was three, and captures the wild yet captivating valleys of the Arizona/Mexico border, painting word pictures of Mexican ranchers, Tohono O'odham Indians and many other cultures intermingling. It is a story of how to live life to the fullest, as she learned it from nature, her family and those around her. She has learned well what the beautiful cruel country has to teach and she passes it on through artistic imagery.

Rating:
Summary: A valuable addition to the library of students of Southwest
Review: It is not often one can read of the intermingling of cultures so successfully combined as in Eva Wilber-Cruce's work. It is remarkable for its objectivity, its vivacity, and as a lesson of how best to get along with one's neighbors. Eva's recollections as a child and woman are remarkable and is a person easily taken to one's heart. Her considerable life is a valise which contains a portfolio of memories of the most meaningful sort. I would compare her book with Mari Sandoz' Old Jules; both about frontier life, one in the SW, the other in Nebraska. The reader has the added benefit of increasing his or her Spanish vocabulary that reflects the lifestyle in which Eva was raised. Beautifully written. An added plus for me was the reference to Archbishop Salpointe who was the heir to "Lamy of Sante Fe." It's a treat when a book ties in with another source written by a respected historical author like Paul Horgan.