I share a fascination with Arthur Grove Day, for the Southwest, with its mix of Native American and Spanish cultures in the desert’s spectacular but harsh environment. He begins this spectacular history with, The American southwest, that region of sunlit mesas and deep-shadowed canyons, of snow-topped continental rooftrees of rock, of sandy flats and high piney parks, is a land that has never been conquered. It is called the Coronado Country. He published this book in May 1940 when he was at Stanford University to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Coronado’s journey, explored many years before the English colonies […]
Continue readingThe Million Mile Walker Dispatch, August 2023 Issue: The Making of The Guatemala Reader
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, This month, I’ll reveal the secrets of making my forthcoming book, The Guatemala Reader, which is especially timely given the watershed events following the Presidential elections. In Culture Watch, I’ll tell how one teacher and her daughter organize a Summer Spanish Camp for the grandkids while some State officials try to eliminate bilingual education. I’ll share the latest Arizona Authors Association newsletter in My Writing and Reviews. Voices in Action will include a provocative quote and an updated Calendar. Although recognition of My Saddest Pleasures as the 2023 recipient of the […]
Continue readingEnd Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I am a history buff, but Peter Urchin is unlike most historians. His background is as an evolutionary biologist studying lemmings and mice. Analyzing the complexities of the natural world allows him to understand the most complex systems of human society. He predicted the turbulence of 2020, which included outbreaks of political violence that the U.S. hadn’t experienced in years, and most interestingly, he’s expecting another crisis in 2024. He identifies several harbingers of societal crisis, including “elite overproduction,” and analyzes examples of this phenomenon throughout history. One example was the 2016 Presidential primary, which included 17 major candidates, and […]
Continue readingA Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand: Adventures in Mexico’s Baja Wilderness, by Earl Vincent de Berge, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I met Earl and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix, discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women on the South Coast. I soon learned that we shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest and that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet. I was surprised to learn that he started writing as far back as 1959 and is publishing an autographical novel laced with poetry and photos about his adventures as a young […]
Continue readingDemocracy to Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans by Elizabeth Graham, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
The author attended a presentation I made at the Arizona Professional Writers Group in August 2022. I also participated in a presentation she made to the same group’s “Book Club” the next month, which offered an excellent opportunity to get acquainted. Her book helped connect the dots between several circumstances around past President Trump that many Americans, including me, wondered about. According to Ms. Graham, her unique perspective is due to her heart residing in the United States while her soul lives in Russia. Graham updated the initial book Democrazy to From Democracy to Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans, […]
Continue reading20 Mood Rd. An Angel’s Tale by Jody Sharpe, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve read and reviewed three of the author’s Mystic Bay series books, starting with Town of Angels, and appreciated that this inspirational book, like all books in the series, proved the power of the human spirit to move on despite incredible tragedy and personal loss. The author’s daughter, Kate, was killed in a tragic accident, and then her husband died, and during a difficult period where many would have succumbed to despair, Jody had a dream in which a voice told her to read “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.V. White, which is a children’s book. Initially, she didn’t know why she […]
Continue readingThe Million Mile Walker Dispatch, July 2023, Best Travel Book & Poverty by America
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, I want to reflect on the meaning behind my latest book being named by the Peace Corps Writers Award as the Best Travel Book. Culture Watch will introduce a compelling book by Matthew Desmond and then explain why Phoenix feels like the “canary in the mine,” as triple-digit temperatures have been the norm for 26 days. I’ll share my column in the Arizona Authors Association newsletter in My Writing and Reviews. Voices in Action will include a provocative quote from author Matthew Desmond, and I’ll end with an updated Calendar. My Saddest […]
Continue readingHey Buddy! Portraits of Friends by Lawrence F. Lihosit, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
Lihosit and I were contemporaries in the Peace Corps in Central America and both married women south of the border. Still, I didn’t connect with him until I became a writer after my international development career ended. Lihosit has written 19 books so far, and I’ve delighted in reading and reviewing several of them. I even used his book on writing and publishing a memoir to write my first book, Different Latitudes. After all he’s seen and done over the years, these memorable descriptions of his friendships seem a perfect time as he dedicates his book “For the Next Generation.” […]
Continue readingLet Them In: The Case for Open Borders by Jason L. Riley, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
The growing misinformation, jargon, polemics, and hate language around the crucial issue of immigration warranted a qualified, conservative commentator to write about the subject. The author of this book is a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board and has appeared on Fox News and Hannity & Colmes. The author puts immigration in the U.S. into a historical perspective. He points to conservative hero President Ronald Reagan in responding to the arguments that immigrants depress wages, displace workers, and boost crime and disease while posing a threat to national security, which runs counter to the precepts of free trade. […]
Continue readingMillion Mile Walker Dispatch, Exploring the Chaco Cultural National Park & Beyond, June issue 2023
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, I want to share some of the stories from my recent trip through the Chaco Cultural National Park in New Mexico. The Culture Watch will introduce a must-read book after the Supreme Court decision to reject affirmative action and a remembrance of the passing of whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg. I’ll share some good and bad news in my Writing and Reviews. Voices in Action will include a memorable quote from one of the iconic travel writers. The Calendar will highlight the celebration of World Refugee Day and a PEN America event here […]
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