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Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life

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Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life

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Hardcover
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Overview

The editors of Texas Monthly explore what it means to be a Texan in this anthology packed with essays, reportage, recipes, and recommendations from their renowned list of contributors.

Big hats, big trucks, big oil fortunes—Texas clichés all. And while those elements do flourish throughout Texas, they alone hardly define the place. The Lone Star State is and has always been a great melting pot, home to sprawling cities, trailblazing innovators, and treasured traditions from all over, many of which become ingrained in popular culture and intertwined with the American ideal.

In this collection, the editors of Texas Monthly take stock of their multifaceted, larger-than-life state, including the people, customs, land, culture, and cuisine that have collided and comingled here. Featuring essays, reportage, recipes, and recommendations from the magazine’s legendary roster of contributors, and accompanied by original drawings, Being Texan explores the landscapes that are home to more than 29 million people; the joys and idiosyncrasies of Texan life; underappreciated episodes of Texas history; and distinctive strains of Texan arts and culture.

Illuminating, surprising, and entertaining, Being Texan reveals the Lone Star State in all its beauty, vastness, and complexity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063068544
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	389,178
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Texas Monthly is one of the most respected publications in the nation and has won fourteen National Magazine Awards. Since 1973, its legendary roster of contributors has chronicled life in contemporary Texas, publishing long-form literary storytelling alongside in-depth analysis on vital issues and indispensable advice on Texas living.

Introduction: What Does It Mean to Be Texan? 1

I Identity & Culture

The Birth of Texas Pride 9

Strong Texas Women 14

Something in the Water 21

From Amarila to Wad-a-loop 25

More Colorful Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At 28

The Wildcatters 31

The Lure of a Good Truck 37

The Evolution of Juneteenth 40

A Tale of Two High Schools 43

Way Beyond Hats 48

Stanley Marcus and the Art of Shopping 52

The State of the Boot 58

Souls of the Departed 63

II Town & Country

For Love of the Land 73

The Seven Territories of Texas 80

The Beauty of Small Things 88

Endless Summer 91

We'll Always Have Austin 93

City of Ghosts 95

Survivor City 97

Bright Lights, Big Branding 99

Borderland Cariño 103

Life in the Oil Patch 106

These Creatures Can and Will Kill You, Maybe 111

Friday Night Temples 118

Get Lost in Texas 122

The Stars at Night 129

The Secret Swimming Hole 131

Miles and Miles of Texas 134

Planting Wildflowers in a Pandemic 141

Notes from a Hill Country Deer Blind 145

III Arts & Entertainment

The Texas Western, Redefined 157

Essential Texas Movies 165

The Dallas Effect 170

Why McMurtry Matters 174

Essential Texas Books 183

Rewriting History 188

Houston, Art City 193

Long Live the Honky-Tonk 200

Essential Texas Songs 206

The Sound of Humanity 215

Willie and Me 220

A Voice for the Voiceless 224

Selena's Immortal Performance 228

The New York Intellectual Massacre 231

IV Food & Drink

Hot, Melty Goodness 239

So Far Away, So Close 249

A Hard-Earned Drink 255

Calling Dr, Chilton 261

The Texas Tacopedia 264

The Coronation of Brisket 270

That Texas Terroir 275

A Steakhouse to Drive For 281

Fried and Stuffed 285

Longnecks and Longhairs 289

Ode to the Raspa 296

Afterword: Texas to the Future 301

Acknowledgments 305

Contributors 309

Index 319

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

09/27/2021
Contributors to Texas Monthly consider “what it means to be Texan” in this lighthearted collection. Mimi Swartz’s essay “Strong Texas Women” discusses Gov. Ann Richards and journalist Molly Ivins, as well as 21st-century role models Beyoncé, Simone Biles, and Lizzo. Sterry Butcher notes that less than 2% of the state’s territory is federal land (“Texas, in other words, is held by Texans”); David Courtney provides an amusing round-up of “weirdly named towns” (among them, Ding Dong, Wink, and Fink), and Wes Ferguson identifies Texas’s “most dangerous creatures,” including black widow spiders, scorpions, and fire ants. Elsewhere, John Spong discusses how the John Sayles film Lone Star redefined the Texas western by depicting “the way everyday Brown, Black, and white Texans were dealing with the state’s cruel racial history,” and Skip Hollandsworth incisively analyzes how novelist Larry McMurtry “elevated and eviscerated with the kind of marrow-piercing observations only ever allowed native sons.” Readers will also find recipes for cheese enchiladas, Viet-Cajun crawfish, and a cactus juice cocktail to wash them down. This entertaining compendium captures the allure of the Lone Star state. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Texas contains multitudes, and so must a book that hopes to explain the Lone Star State. Being Texan is as full of itself as any Texan must be, but what other state could pull off such a glorious self-examination?” — Lawrence Wright, author of God Save Texas
“Blending traditions, memories, reflections, and discoveries, Being Texan is an expansive and inclusive love letter to an ever-changing, infinitely surprising state. There’s an entire world inside of each of these narratives, provoking and celebrating Texas’s overflowing culture; this book magnifies and challenges the question of who a Texan can be, while paying homage to the many different ways that we come to belong.” — Bryan Washington, author of Lot and Memorial
“From the awe of a star-filled west Texas sky to the romance of a long road trip to the coziness of a backyard barbecue, Being Texan invites readers on a journey through the good ol’ state with some of its greatest storytellers. A collection as diverse as the state itself.” — Aaron Franklin, owner of Franklin Barbecue
“Texas is part of who I am, and every word of Being Texan brings to life what is so special about this place. We are a land of dreamers and go-getters with a rich history and an exciting future. I will treasure this collection for many years to come.” — Kendra Scott, founder of Kendra Scott Jewelry
“Texas is the most interesting state in the country, and Being Texan is one of the most compelling books I’ve read about being Texan. There are sentences in it that I’m certain you won’t agree with, and also there are sentences in it that feel like they were written specifically for you. That’s also a good way to think about Texas itself.” — Shea Serrano, author of The Rap Year Book and Basketball (and Other Things)
“I’ve been in Texas for decades but still find my chosen state a mystery and a marvel. This collection of writing by Texas’s very best is cause for celebration. What a hopeful, fascinating, beautiful book.” — Amanda Eyre Ward, author of The Jetsetters and The Lifeguards
"This entertaining compendium captures the allure of the Lone Star state." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

I’ve been in Texas for decades but still find my chosen state a mystery and a marvel. This collection of writing by Texas’s very best is cause for celebration. What a hopeful, fascinating, beautiful book.

Amanda Eyre Ward

Blending traditions, memories, reflections, and discoveries, Being Texan is an expansive and inclusive love letter to an ever-changing, infinitely surprising state. There’s an entire world inside of each of these narratives, provoking and celebrating Texas’s overflowing culture; this book magnifies and challenges the question of who a Texan can be, while paying homage to the many different ways that we come to belong.

Bryan Washington

From the awe of a star-filled west Texas sky to the romance of a long road trip to the coziness of a backyard barbecue, Being Texan invites readers on a journey through the good ol’ state with some of its greatest storytellers. A collection as diverse as the state itself.

Aaron Franklin

Texas is part of who I am, and every word of Being Texan brings to life what is so special about this place. We are a land of dreamers and go-getters with a rich history and an exciting future. I will treasure this collection for many years to come.

Kendra Scott

Texas contains multitudes, and so must a book that hopes to explain the Lone Star State. Being Texan is as full of itself as any Texan must be, but what other state could pull off such a glorious self-examination?”

Lawrence Wright

Texas is the most interesting state in the country, and Being Texan is one of the most compelling books I’ve read about being Texan. There are sentences in it that I’m certain you won’t agree with, and also there are sentences in it that feel like they were written specifically for you. That’s also a good way to think about Texas itself.

Shea Serrano

Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life

Being Texan: Essays, Recipes, and Advice for the Lone Star Way of Life

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