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 readingCategory Archives: All
The 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 […]
Continue readingHow The Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With The History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
With today’s Supreme Court ruling rejecting affirmative action at U.S. colleges, this book becomes a must-read as the author examines the legacy of slavery in America and how history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives. Not surprisingly, this New York Times bestseller is one of the top banned books today. The author begins the book with a quote from Frederick Douglass’s “The Nation’s Problem”: Our past was slavery. We cannot recur to it with any sense of complacency or composure. The history of it is a record of stripes, a revelation of agony. It is written in characters […]
Continue readingThe Puebloan Society of Chaco Canyon, by Paul F. Reed, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
A librarian friend found this book for me in preparation for our first visit to the Chaco Canyon. As we drove down the rocky, dusty road of the south entrance, we could only be impressed by the tremendous vistas and the apparent inhospitable nature. This book places the Puebloan society in a historical perspective as part of a Medieval Historical series, the “Greenwood Guides to Historic Events of the Medieval World,” defined as a period from 500 to 1500 A.D. Chaco would peak in the mislabeled “Dark Ages,” beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and continuing until the […]
Continue readingReflections on the Passing of a Fellow Travel Writer & the 200th Anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, The Million Mile Walker Dispatch, May 2023 Issue
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, Today I’ll start with a special homage to a fellow freelance and travel writer recently passed on. Culture Watch will focus on the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine and its impact on our relations with our neighbors to the south and our own Native American neighbors. My Writing and Reviews include reflections on the demise of my favorite literary journal and my latest book review about my hometown of Evergreen, Colorado, and The Will To See, by a French philosopher. I’ll also share the classic scene with Ernest Hemmingway in […]
Continue readingArizona: Its Land and Its People by Tom Miller, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
The editor of this book is considered by many as one of the best nonfiction/travel writers in the country. Several of his books focus on the border, the Southwest, Cuba, and Latin America. He recently published his memoir, Where Was I? A Travel Writer’s Memoir about his illustrious career as a journalist, writer, and adventurer. He shared the impact of Parkinson’s on his writing, which tragically cut his life short. The editor and I share an appreciation of iconic writer Moritz Thomsen, whom Tom met in Ecuador while researching for The Panama Hat Trail, one of my all-time favorite tales, […]
Continue readingImages of America: Evergreen by John Steinle, Review and Reflections by Mark D. Walker
I consider Evergreen, Colorado, my “hometown,” although I’ve lived in many other places. I noticed that the author of this book, John Steinle, was the administrator of the Hiwan Homestead Museum, where my mother, Marion, was the head of the Busy Bee Quilters. The author was qualified to write the book, as he worked in Evergreen as a history education supervisor for Jefferson County Open Space for over 20 years. And I wasn’t disappointed, as the photographs in the book were taken from the comprehensive Jefferson County Historical Society Collection. The author points out that early settlers were drawn to […]
Continue reading