A John Graves Reader (Southwestern Writers Collection Series, Wittliff Collections at Texas State University)

A John Graves Reader should be required reading for all high school english students. His "Hardscrabble" should also be required reading for english and history students. They contain so many interesting facts and are so eloquently written that I read every word. No skimming or speed reading. I've experienced fence building, house and barn construction, livestock and wildlife care, good and not-so-good neighbors, and Texas. Graves presents these and many other subjects in such interesting ways that will encourage a reader to live more harmoniously with others and make the best of this world that we live in.

My husband has read this more times than I can count. Often reads passages to me, and we discuss them. Because we enjoy that, I have not read it. I will eventually. This is a much loved book!

After reading "Goodbye to a River", I was hooked on Graves' writing. He paints marvelous word pictures. My favorite thing is that he makes a sentence into a paragraph as if he is talking to the reader. A great storyteller.

John Graves is a complex mixture; ardent bird watcher and a hunter, a rancher and a conservationist, sometimes world traveler and a stay at home Texan, and a historian. His writings are interesting and always have a point. I'm going to read more John Graves.

This included some works by Graves that I had never seen before. Great book! I would recommend it to anyone.