Spirits of San Antonio and South Texas

Spirits of San Antonio and South Texas
Author: Docia Schultz Williams
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1993
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The number one tourist destination in Texas may also be one of the most haunted cities in the entire state. Steeped in history and tradition, San Antonio has many locations that are claimed as home for some interesting and intriguing spirits. Docia Williams has spent years tracking down the spirits of San Antonio and has found them in such interesting places as the Alamo, the Institute of Texan Cultures, numerous hotels and restaurants, the city library, the choir loft of a Methodist church, the Midget Mansion, and the haunted Sea Captain's house.

The Spirit of Tequila

The Spirit of Tequila
Author:
Publisher: Trinity University Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1595348247

Agave dates back to the Aztec civilization as an important crop in Mexico. Since the 1600s, the people of western Mexico have cultivated blue agave from the red volcanic soil that blankets the region, to make what we know as tequila. The Spirit of Tequila celebrates the tradition, culture, and myth of this iconic drink. Joel Salcido traveled across the state of Jalisco capturing images of distilleries and artisanal tequileras, including blue agave fields at sunset, the agave's pineapple-like centers (piñas), elegantly shadowed barrel rooms (añejos), and, of course, the agave farmers themselves. Nearly ninety photographs, taken with a medium format camera—some in full-color, some in duotone—reveal not only the tequila making process but also the region’s traditions of culture and religion. Haunting and beautiful, a church spire is juxtaposed with a firework celebration in honor of the Virgen de Guadalupe. A Mexican charro rides through the streets of Arandas. Near Atotonilco, a horse pulls a traditional plow through the fields to irrigate. Exploring the rooms and techniques hidden in the distilleries of legendary tequilas Herradura, Sauza, Jose Cuervo, Don Julio, and others, The Spirit of Tequila celebrates a craft that is rooted deep in the culture of Mexico.

Spirit

Spirit
Author: Anthony Head
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2019-03-07
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1623497108

As he lay bleeding in a Vietnamese rice paddy, his right arm shredded by shrapnel, artist Jesse Treviño realized that he wanted to honor and preserve his family and his cultural heritage through his artwork. After receiving a Purple Heart and undergoing two years of rehabilitative therapy and the amputation of his right forearm—including his painting hand—Treviño enrolled in San Antonio College, determined to learn how to draw and paint with his left hand. In 1974 he produced the impressive La Historia Chicana, a one hundred-foot-long work embracing six centuries of Mexican American heritage now on display inside the Sueltenfuss Library at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. Since then, Treviño has completed many more paintings and public artworks, including Spirit of Healing, the nine-story hand-cut tile mosaic that graces Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital in downtown San Antonio. His work has been collected by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, and the San Antonio Museum of Art. Anthony Head’s sensitive and elegant biography now offers readers an intimate view of the artist’s life. Head captures Treviño’s determination, artistic vision, and the deep pride in his Chicano heritage that he transmits to the world through his creations. Spirit: The Life and Art of Jesse Treviño promises to engage and inspire readers with its vivid portrayal of this triumph of art and the human spirit.

Spirit of Gonzales

Spirit of Gonzales
Author: Betsy Wagner
Publisher: Mary E. Wagner
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2019-03-19
Genre:
ISBN: 9780578438801

The story of a young pioneer girl who settled in Gonzales, Texas, just in time for the revolution. There is a spirit of vigor and courage in Texas. It inspired the early settlers, and it unified them during rough times. That spirit of determination rallied the men who defended the Alamo and fortified the volunteers who followed Sam Houston to San Jacinto. In 1831, Sydnie Gaston's family had that spirit. Like many other families, they left the comforts of their home in the United States to brave the wilds in what was then Mexico. They settled in a village on the Guadalupe River and were soon swept up in the hardships of pioneer life. They overcame Indians and nature, and they helped to fight in a war against a deceitful government. Sydnie was one of many authentic women who fought for a better life in what became the Republic of Texas. And it all started with the Spirit of Gonzales.

Big Wonderful Thing

Big Wonderful Thing
Author: Stephen Harrigan
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 944
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0292759517

The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and of the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world. “I couldn’t believe Texas was real,” the painter Georgia O’Keeffe remembered of her first encounter with the Lone Star State. It was, for her, “the same big wonderful thing that oceans and the highest mountains are.” Big Wonderful Thing invites us to walk in the footsteps of ancient as well as modern people along the path of Texas’s evolution. Blending action and atmosphere with impeccable research, New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea. Written in fast-paced prose, rich with personal observation and a passionate sense of place, Big Wonderful Thing calls to mind the literary spirit of Robert Hughes writing about Australia or Shelby Foote about the Civil War. Like those volumes it is a big book about a big subject, a book that dares to tell the whole glorious, gruesome, epically sprawling story of Texas.

BenBee and the Teacher Griefer

BenBee and the Teacher Griefer
Author: K.A. Holt
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2020-09-22
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 179720761X

From the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, and Knockout! The Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee and the Teacher Griefer is a funny, clever novel-in-verse series about Ben Bellows—who failed the Language Arts section of the Florida State test—and three classmates who get stuck in a summer school class. But these kids aren't dumb—they're divergent thinkers, as Ms. J tells them: they simply approach things in a different way than traditional school demands. • Each chapter is told through the perspective of one of the four students, who each write in a different style (art, verse, stream of consciousness). • Celebrates different types of intelligence • A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse Soon, the kids win over Ms. J with their passion for Sandbox, a Minecraft-type game. The kids make a deal with Ms. J: every minute they spend reading aloud equals one minute they get to play Sandbox in class. But when the administration finds about this unorthodox method of teaching, Ben B. and his buds have to band together to save their teacher's job—and their own academic future. The first in a series of complementary storylines, this is an honest, heartfelt book about friendship, videogames, and learning to love yourself. • Features a distinct and engaging cast of characters • Encourages even the most reluctant reader to embrace their own "divergent" self • Perfect for parents of kids age 10 and up who love Minecraft, educators and librarians, middle grade readers, new readers of poetry, and fans of videogames • You'll love this book if you love books like Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Patina by Jason Reynolds, and Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown

The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown
Author: Crystal Allen
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2016-01-26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0062342355

A hilarious and spunky new heroine in the vein of the heroines of such beloved books as Ramona the Pest, Ivy and Bean, and Clementine, from Crystal Allen—the acclaimed author of How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy. Nine-year-old Mya Tibbs is boot-scootin’ excited for the best week of the whole school year—SPIRIT WEEK! She and her megapopular best friend, Naomi Jackson, even made a pinky promise to be Spirit Week partners so they can win the big prize: special VIP tickets to the Fall Festival! But when the partner picking goes horribly wrong, Mya gets paired with Mean Connie Tate—the biggest bully in school. And she can’t get out of it. Good gravy. Now Naomi is friend-ending mad at Mya for breaking a promise—even though Mya couldn’t help it—and everyone at school is calling Mya names. Can Mya work with Mean Connie to win the VIP tickets and get her best friend back?

Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism

Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism
Author: Jonathan Tran
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0197587909

Any serious consideration of Asian American life forces us to reframe the way we talk about racism and antiracism. The current emphasis on racial identity obscures the political economic basis that makes racialized life in America legible. This is especially true when it comes to Asian Americans. This book reframes the conversation in terms of what has been called ""racial capitalism"" and utilizes two extended case studies to show how Asian Americans perpetuate and resist its political economy.

Tipsy Texan

Tipsy Texan
Author: David Alan
Publisher: Andrews Mcmeel+ORM
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2013-06-11
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1449446930

“Don’t let the Tipsy Texan’s clever nickname fool you: Here’s a man who seriously understands the art and the lore of the cocktail.” —Rebecca Rather, author of The Pastry Queen From the man at the forefront of Texas mixology, get recipes for Big & Boozy drinks for when hearty, spirit-forward cocktails are the order; Light, Bright, and Refreshing cocktails that will get you through those long, hot summers; and Sweet, Creamy, and Desserty cocktails that will satisfy the sweet tooth. A section on techniques reveals tricks of the trade, with each recipe accompanied by ingredient notes for anything that’s out of the ordinary or must be house-made. Recipes include the author's own creations as well as classics with local and regional twists, such as the Old Austin, a Texas update on the Old Fashioned sweetened with toasted pecan syrup. The Peach Tom Collins is a simple variation on the classic that tastes like Hill Country in a glass. The Harvest Punch showcases local rum, seasonal spices, and fresh pressed apple cider. A bowl of Absinthe Eggnog or a Golden Sleigh, an eggnog variation on the old Golden Cadillac, bring extra cheer to the holidays. Succulent red grapefruits—the crown jewels of Texas’s indigenous cocktail ingredients from the Rio Grande valley—figure prominently here. You’ll also meet the bartenders who ushered in the Texas cocktail revival; see the places where they ply their trade; and read about the distillers who’ve put Texas on the national craft distilling map—and all the wonderful cocktails that Texas bartenders (and bar patrons!) have devised in which to use these homegrown spirits. You’ll even join a tour of the gardens and farmers’ markets that give Texans an incredible year-round assortment of fruits and vegetables, ripe for the picking—and ripe for the drinking. “Thanks to his truly delicious book, we can all mix up our own tastes of David’s Texas—from Austin loquats to Hill Country peaches, blended with the state’s finest artisan liquors. Cheers!” —Jim Hightower, New York Times-bestselling author of Swim Against the Current Includes color photos

The Other Half of Happy

The Other Half of Happy
Author: Rebecca Balcárcel
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1452170002

Quijana is a girl in pieces. One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana's Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn't know more about her family's heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she's found true friends. But she can't help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what's going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. In the course of this immersive and beautifully written novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole. This lyrical debut from Rebecca Balcárcel is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong.