Flannery Burke defines the Southwest in this book narrowly - as the states of Arizona and New Mexico. Yes - California and Texas are part of the Southwest but they had their own history and development and when they are added to a story, they become the focus. And while Utah, Nevada and Colorado can be considered part of the story, they have a different story as well. On the other hand, the two states started as a single territory, have similar racial structure and in a lot of ways are the two sides of the same coin. Of course, history and geography does not care about lines on a map so the story takes us to the neighboring states and to Mexico often enough but the main focus are the two States, buffered between the giants of Texas and California - it is just how the Southwest works.

The book is full of facts, names and details which can get someone lost quickly. The structure of the book does not help much - Burke decided on separate essays as chapters so she will revisit the same people, places and times in different chapters (until at some point she also starts saying things like "as we saw already" and "as we will see" which lead to other chapters)... But despite it, the story emerges.

The main thesis is clear from early on - the two states are joined together by their past, present and future but exactly the same things is what sets them apart from the rest of the country - despite everyone wanting to adopt parts of them. They have the mix of Indian and Spanish speaking population that came from having the territory as part of Mexico much longer than other parts of the country and that is part of what delayed the statehood for both states. Unlike the Eastern states, most of the local Indian tribes were not expelled to some new lands (although the Long Walk of the Navajo changed them as much as the Trail of Tears changed the Eastern tribes). But the goal here was not relocation - they were moved to prison instead - and when they were released, most of them made it back.

The first two parts of the book deal with the racial make-up of the state - the reservations are part of both states and Spanish is even an official language in New Mexico. Burke traces how the race self-determination changes and how at different times, the same group is either white or not - depending on what they need it to be. And under that is the story of assimilation and the creation of the nations and tribes of today. Some of it is hard to read (people can be cruel...), some of it makes one smile and some of it gives you hope. But by the end of the century, the two states emerge as two siblings - growing up together but having their own paths - taking almost opposite decisions along the way in a lot of places.

The rest of the book never lets these topics fail (if anything they add the rest of the peoples that make up the area) - but they are deal with different problems. The tribes and nations got their reservations but as it turned out, America needed the resources from them - the Four Corners area where the Navajo nation makes its home has coal, uranium and water. And next door in New Mexico, Los Alamos was created specifically so USA can develop a bomb. And both states struggle with their climate and aridity - the Colorado River and the Rio Grande are right here but that does not make them fair game... and everyone wants their water.

The region is also a popular tourist place - which through the century had been explored and abused by everyone. All that defined the region - it had to stay in the past so the tourists can see it and it was in the present and future because the land was needed for that. As a result it got out of time - and almost out of focus - when people think about the Southwest, they think either of the romantic version sold on postcards where time has stopped or about the Grand Canyon and the rest of the area - or if they are so inclined, they think about the Sun Belt. When they remember that there are two states between Texas and California that is - for a lot of people the Southwest is defined by the two big guys on both ends...

And all that history is also mixed with the story of the local arts, the artists who were born here or made their home here, the traveler and writers who left something of them here, the changing perceptions and understanding of native art and crafts.

At the end I learned a lot about the region I call home these days. It also made me think about all the states I know nothing about - they all have history, they all have their quirks.

If you are looking for political history, look elsewhere. The big names are mentioned but mainly in connection with their environmental and local work. And even if some events from the 21st century are mentioned here and there, the book is concerned with the 20th and the changes it brought. And all the damage that we had done to other people and to the environment.

It is an extremely dense book but if you are interested in the topic, it is worth reading. ( )