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Summary: Author Bio
Review: T.R. Fehrenbach, a native Texan, is a best-selling author and has been published in Atlantic, The Saturday Evening Post, L'Express, Esquire, The New Republic, Argosy, and The American Legion Magazine. Other works published by Replica Books include: Comanches: The Destruction of a People, Seven Keys to Texas, Fire and Blood: A History of Mexico, and Greatness to Spare: The Heroic Sacrifices of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence.
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Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Texans will not like this review but I thought this book quite simply missed its mark. Texas is a wonderful place with a rich, complex and deep history. Texans are the warmest, most friendly people I have ever met. So where was the discussion of the Hispanic contribution? Where was the discussion of the horror of the KKK and its political and regulatory power? Why was the discussion of the Texas Rangers so brief and superficial? And why was Texas' significant contribution to the Confederacy during the War Between the States so understated? The Indian Wars are not covered adequately and by definition then neither are the Buffalo soldiers. Neither is the Texas Revolution, Texas' admission to the Union, the War with Mexico or an outstanding figure by the name of Sam Houston. The section addressing the Reconstruction period was very good but almost nothing was mentioned about the impact of the immigration centers such as Jefferson, Indianola or Galveston which also occurred during Reconstruction. And what about water? To a non-Texan this last comment probably sounds silly. But water was, and still is today, a most precious commodity, a prime economic development driver. This is one dry state. The impact of water or the lack thereof shapes everything about Texas from its history to its economy, agricultural practices, the location and growth of population centers, its politics and its future. This book is a substantive effort. But so much was missed and so much time was spent on the arcane that I just wound up feeling very sorry for the author.
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Summary: Good history superbly written
Review: The best history of Texas, no exceptions, is T.R. Fehrenbach's Lone Star - A History of Texas and the Texans. I just finished re-reading it this past spring. He first published this back in 1968 (I have an original edition copy, by the way, given to me by my grandfather when I was about 12 years old), and I must say, he got it a lot more right on just about every topic than any of the revisionists of the past 30 years. Interestingly enough, a growing body of the most recent scholarship is now reconfirming the kind of analysis that Fehrenbach nailed the first time. It can only be hoped this trend indicates that the PC ideologues who have dominated anthropology and history departments the past three decades are finally passing from the scene, and that high quality writing and analysis of the sort exemplified by Fehrenbach is returning. Fehrenbach had no ideological ax to grind - he told the stories as good historians do, by reference to the documentation and with fidelity to the spirit of the characters and events. All that aside, Fehrenbach is a just plain good writer, not to mention a great historian, and Lone Star is good reading as well as good history. It's the kind of book Texans ought to have on the shelf, to pull down and read about various periods and episodes in Texas history when the occasion arises....Certainly no Texan should be without it.....
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Summary: Essential reading for those who want to understand Texas
Review: The most thoughtful and sweeping history of the nation's most colorful state, it covers from prehistoric times, inhabitation by Native Americans, Spanish exploration, colonization by Anglos under the rule of Mexico, the War of Independence from Mexico, its years as the independent Republic of Texas, statehood within the U.S., its role in the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and up to the modern day.
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Summary: Why Texans abroad say they are from Texas, and not the US
Review: The story of Texas, as drawn from its history, is far more interesting and provocative than any novel could ever be. T.R. Fehrenbach provides a wonderfully sweeping view of the geography, the "aboriginals", the conquistadors, the newly independent Mexico with its 1824 constitution, and a deep insight into the minds and hearts of those who wrested Texas from Mexico --- from (as the Texas Declaration of Independence says) "the tyranny of the priesthood and the sword." The book tells of the "Comanche Line" of forts out in the western part of the frontier -- and of its commanding officer, R.E. Lee, who, at the time of the secession, was in command of 10% of the standing army of the United States!
From Reconstruction, through the initial oil discoveries, the Great Depression, and the rise of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the story of Texas before OPEC, is compelling reading. Because Texas was the only nation to enter the Union, there remains a strong "national" pride in the hearts of native Texans who, when travelling abroad and asked where they are from, more often than not, say TEXAS, and not the USA. The former is natural, and the latter does not even occur to them. The Lone Star will give the reader a better understanding of why this is so.
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Summary: Why Texans abroad say they are from Texas, and not the US
Review: The story of Texas, as drawn from its history, is far more interesting and provocative than any novel could ever be. T.R. Fehrenbach provides a wonderfully sweeping view of the geography, the "aboriginals", the conquistadors, the newly independent Mexico with its 1824 constitution, and a deep insight into the minds and hearts of those who wrested Texas from Mexico --- from (as the Texas Declaration of Independence says) "the tyranny of the priesthood and the sword." The book tells of the "Comanche Line" of forts out in the western part of the frontier -- and of its commanding officer, R.E. Lee, who, at the time of the secession, was in command of 10% of the standing army of the United States!
From Reconstruction, through the initial oil discoveries, the Great Depression, and the rise of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the story of Texas before OPEC, is compelling reading. Because Texas was the only nation to enter the Union, there remains a strong "national" pride in the hearts of native Texans who, when travelling abroad and asked where they are from, more often than not, say TEXAS, and not the USA. The former is natural, and the latter does not even occur to them. The Lone Star will give the reader a better understanding of why this is so.
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Summary: Why Texans abroad say they are from Texas, and not the US
Review: The story of Texas, as drawn from its history, is far more interesting and provocative than any novel could ever be. T.R. Fehrenbach provides a wonderfully sweeping view of the geography, the "aboriginals", the conquistadors, the newly independent Mexico with its 1824 constitution, and a deep insight into the minds and hearts of those who wrested Texas from Mexico --- from (as the Texas Declaration of Independence says) "the tyranny of the priesthood and the sword." The book tells of the "Comanche Line" of forts out in the western part of the frontier -- and of its commanding officer, R.E. Lee, who, at the time of the secession, was in command of 10% of the standing army of the United States!
From Reconstruction, through the initial oil discoveries, the Great Depression, and the rise of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the story of Texas before OPEC, is compelling reading. Because Texas was the only nation to enter the Union, there remains a strong "national" pride in the hearts of native Texans who, when travelling abroad and asked where they are from, more often than not, say TEXAS, and not the USA. The former is natural, and the latter does not even occur to them. The Lone Star will give the reader a better understanding of why this is so.
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Summary: Absolute Must Have
Review: This is an exhaustive - and lengthy - book on not just Texas but the the history of the area before there was a Texas, the countries who owned it, the men who settled it and the people who made it what it is today. The author gives a throrough treatment on every topic and that is more amazing than it sounds. If you are studying Texas, or the Frontier, or the Civil War, or slavery, or sociology of American (not just Texan) development - you should read this book. It is fact filled AND interesting.
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Summary: Comprehesive, unapologetic view of Texas history.
Review: This is by far the best history of Texas I've ever read. I am a fith generation Texan whose family arrived here from Georgia in the 1830's and 40's. Feherenbach is neither romantic nor aplogetic about the State's raucous and turbulent past. His discussion of the frontier wars is especially helpful in understanding why Spain and Mexico could never gain a firm foothold in Texas, the critical factor that led Mexico to legitimize and encourage Anglo-American emigration in the 1820's. The historical ramifications of this odd and little understood policy and the subsequent Anglo Texas/Comanche wars on the Texas frontier are largely responsible for the State's distictive social and political character. This is the one book that should be read by anyone having a serious interest in Texas history.
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Summary: Dry as the Texas soil
Review: This was probably the driest history book I have ever read. With all the exciting things that happened in Texas history, it would be easy to spice this book up. However, Fehrenbach spends more time on agriculture and geography that the actual history of the state. He goes on for pages on minor events and minor governors, but then breezes by others like the Mexican-American War. I've read many history books that monotonous, but this one was just flat boring. Furthermore, the author justifies the killing and suppression of Indians, Negros, and Mexicans by Texans becuase they were inferior and did not deserve the land. This at times made me very uncomfortable.
The author needs to seriously think about whether he is writing a history book, or a detailed description of every rock in Texas. I would not recommend this book for people interested in Texas history, but could be used as a resource for students.
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