What's your favorite book, fiction or non-fiction, set in ABQ or NM?

[Richard1954]

My favorite book which takes place here in NM is Red Sky at Morning, which was eventually turned into a movie with Richard Crenna, in 1972. you can see it on Youtube. It's starring Richard Thomas, Margerite Roberts, Jesi Arnaz jr, and Richard Crenna played a brief role.

[aries63]

Originally Posted by Richard1954

My favorite book which takes place here in NM is Red Sky at Morning, which was eventually turned into a movie with Richard Crenna, in 1972. you can see it on Youtube. It's starring Richard Thomas, Margerite Roberts, Jesi Arnaz jr, and Richard Crenna played a brief role.

OMG Yes!!! How could I have omitted this one... another favorite!

[Algiz]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

Welcome to New Mexico, Algiz. I remember you from the city-data Washington threads. I think you're gonna like New Mexico just fine!

Thanks, elkotronics! But we haven't moved there just yet. We're coming out late this week for our fourth visit to see, to make a decision. We'll see...!!!

[Rich Cabeza]

Originally Posted by Algiz

Well, after some recommendations, I've just finished V B Price's Albuquerque: The City at the End of the World and Glory Lane, two very different books, for sure.

I loved Price's book, just loved it, and given that we're leaving for NM in a few days, I'm excited to explore some of the areas within the city that he mentions in the book. Some places have changed, roads and such, but I've been able to understand what's changed on a map and still investigate IRL while there. I particularly appreciate how he gets to the heart of an area and explains why it is what it is. I know it's his subjective view, but he goes into detail in such a way that it will likely be easy for me to see if his perspective is too subjective to be able to be neutral. He's not objective throughout the book, for sure, but he is in a lot of places. That's why I like his writing style. It's pretty obvious to me when he moves into his opinions. To me, he writes "clean."

I loved the parts in Price's book about the UNM. I never miss exploring university campuses. The UNM bookstore was definitely one of the bookstores I was going to visit because I assumed there would be so many books to find there given UNM Press, but a prior post mentions the bookstore used to be good but now seems to sell more UNM sweatshirts and mugs for the parents. I'll see for myself in a few days.

Glory Lane was hilarious and just like ABQConvict mentioned - something read in high school and definitely something appreciated at that age. I was amused, yes, a fun very quick read. The 80s is my time, and I think I appreciated the 80s vibe of the book most of all...along with the mentions of ABQ AND the universal teenage angst about wherever the kid is, doesn't have to be ABQ.

Now I'm onto the Oppenheimer book, 109 East Palance. In fact, my husband and I have got a copy each from the library and will be reading our respective books on the trip. The book looks very good.

Thanks again for the book and bookstore suggestions. I'll be looking for many of the books in this thread while there, at B&N, the UNM bookstore, and at Page 1 Books.

Maybe I'll run into some of you while there, but we'll never know!

Just reserved the Price book. Thanks for the review.

[80skeys]

Poetry wise there are the books from Jimmy Santiago Baca - Black Mesa, Martin and Meditations on the South Valley, and Healing Earthquakes - which give you the Hispanic perpsective - both the barrio perpsective and the rural/mountain village perspective. Some of it is spot on. Some of the imagery is highly memorable. Other of it is a bit too "self-pitying" - the sort of typical "repressed" minority type of thing, which I'm not too big of a fan of, although it's accurate in the sense that many Hispanics will express those type of sentiments (as I myself have occasionally done here).