BOOK REVIEW from Austin Statesman
Dolph Briscoe's 'My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics': memorable memoir
The former governor's memoir is full of good stories about his years in office, but it's the tales of his days working the land that really shine
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN Sunday, August 03, 2008
[The review begins:} "If you puzzle over what makes Texas tick, read this quietly appealing book by a pioneering southwest Texas rancher who served as the state's governor from 1973 to 1979.
In 1999, historian Don Carleton began lengthy oral interviews with former Gov. Dolph Briscoe. Their collaboration continued until last year. Briscoe was not dealing with a novice. Carleton, executive director of the American History Center at the University of Texas, previously collaborated on books with Walter Cronkite and Waco entrepreneur Bernard Rapoport.
Briscoe's recollections of his years as governor are insightful. Yet the political tales of a conservative Democrat now out of office 30 years aren't nearly as rich as his accounts of eight years as a young, progressive Texas House member, and working as a Uvalde rancher who gathered up tens of thousands of acres of ranch land and fought to kill off the horrible screwworm.
Many colorful political figures walk the pages of this book, and Briscoe is tough on some, especially President Jimmy Carter and former House Speaker Price Daniel Jr. But he is at heart a gentleman, and if you like rancorous political biography out to settle scores, this book is not for you." .... READ MORE AT http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/08/03/0803briscoe.html
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