240 Western American Literature Hank Messick, long-time newspaper reporter and author of eighteen books, gives the reader brief essays about the desert Southwest, essays that allow the reader more time for leisurely thoughts about subjects close to home. From snakes to roses, rabbits to cactuses, rats to water wells, Messick writes as a keen observer of the creatures and landscapes of southeastern Arizona. A newcomer to the Southwest, he reacts with the usual outsider’s enthusiasm to the discov eries he makes while investigating the animal and plant life in his desert front yard, uncovering crawling creatures beneath rocks and flushing out of the bushes critters that run or fly. The book contains some very good essays that will cause the reader to take a second or third look at the life and wildlife in the Southwest. Though these are not the works of a trained naturalist, they are products of a seasoned writer who now has time for sustained observation. JIM HARRIS Hobbs, New Mexico An Orange Grove Boyhood. ByLawrence Clark Powell. (Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1988. 80 pages, $12.95.) And what did the eminent man call his older brothers? ‘“You goddam shits!’” And how did the eminent man’s brothers respond? “Whereupon they threw themselves on me from above and gave me a Dutch rub.” Ah, the feared Dutch rub, those knuckles caressing your scalp. Few men who grew up as western boys won’t enjoy An Orange Grove Boyhood, and more than a few ladies will relish it because it is, among other things, just plain fun. After reading about these events that occurred during my own father’s boy hood, I was amazed at how little had changed when I grew up in the 1940s and ’50s, and I was pleased. To say that this slim volume is among the best ever produced by a writer as accomplished as Lawrence Clark Powell may sound fishy, but it ain’t. Subtitled, “Growing Up in Southern California, 1910-1928,” this delightful memoir has about it a Penrod/Tom Sawyer quality that causes no anxiety because readers know how well the mischievous, at times downright ornery, kid named Larry Powell turned out. But anyone who knows the finished product, Lawrence Clark Powell, distinguished academic and revolutionary librarian, novelist, critic and regional essayist of renown, bundle of energy and controversial figure, will not be surprised that the younger version found not-altogether-kosher ways to express his considerable verve. There is wonderful candor in this book. Young Larry doesn’t know what “piece of ass” means; he admits to ignorant racism; he relishes eating library Reviews 241 paste—and he survives it all to become who and what he is, a good and accom plished man. There’s hope for the rest of us. One small episode suggests the endearing tone of this autobiographical essay. After a summer working on a farm just south of Bakersfield, a teenage Larry drove back over the infamous Ridge Route to southern California, 125 tortuous miles in a crowded car, with the family and various animals of his older brother: It took us eight hours, Clark driving all the way, with frequent stops to cool the engine, repair flats, and get gas and food. The goat and I occupied what space was left in the back seat. Since then I feel differently about goats. That masterful understatement captures the tone of this charming book. It’s a nostalgic and relieving read, since most kids do indeed survive their youths. GERALD HASLAM Sonoma State University Will James: The Life and Works of a Lone Cowboy. By William Gardner Bell. (Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Press, 1987. 130 pages, $39.95.) Ride for the High Points: The Real Story of Will James. By Jim Bramlett. (Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1987. 242 pages, $26.95.) Over two decades have elapsed since Anthony Amaral, in Will James: The Gilt Edged Cowboy (Los Angeles, Western-lore Press, 1967), revealed much that had been previously unknown about supposed Montana native Will James, including his actual French Canadian origin as Ernest Dufault. Over the years since, various works have explored certain facets of the famous cow boy’s writings...