Bannon, John Francis.  The Spanish Borderlands Frontier, 1513 – 1821.  Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1997.

Before Texas was part of the United States, and even before it was part of Mexico, it was part of a vast Spanish Empire.  Not only Texas, but much of the US once belonged to Spain.  Florida, New Mexico, California, Arizona, and other areas were explored and settled by the Spanish centuries before they became part of the US.

Popular culture often portrays the story of American expansion in the West as one in which Anglo-American pioneers tamed an unknown wilderness.  This is an exaggeration at best, especially in the American Southwest, as this area had long been settled by the Spanish.  These early Spanish explorers and settlers left a lasting impact that affects us today; especially in regards to language, culture, religion and even place names.  Most of the rivers in Texas have Spanish names.

This book begins in 1513 when the first Spanish explorer arrived in Florida, and ends in 1821 when Mexico won its independence thus ending Spain’s involvement in North America.  If you are interested in knowing about the people and events that shaped this period of history, then I highly recommend this book for you.

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Contributed by Joshua Wallace, Reference Librarian at the Pecan Campus.

Friedman, George.  The Next 100 Years: a Forecast for the 21^st Century.  New York: Doubleday, 2009.

If you have an interest in politics, international relations, or predictions of futuristic technology then this is the book for you.  Using his knowledge of historical trends and political forecasting Friedman predicts how international relations will unfold over the next century.  The author has a PhD in political science from Cornell University and he is the founder of STRATFOR a private intelligence firm.

Friedman claims that the current economic downturn will not last long and that soon the United States will be back on top and will be the dominant superpower for the next 100 years.  This book predicts that Russia and China will collapse in the next 20 or 30 years from internal divisions and pressure from their neighbors.  By 2050 Japan and Turkey will be the world’s new major powers.  They will form an alliance to rival the United States which will lead to World War III.  However, the US will triumph in that future war.  By 2100 Mexico will be the new rising power that will challenge the USA.  How does the author come to these conclusions?  You’ll have to read the book to find out!  (Click here to check for availability.)

Contributed by Joshua Wallace, Reference Librarian at the Pecan Campus

Pearlman, J. (2008). Boys will be boys: The glory days and party nights of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty. New York: HarperCollins.

Any Football fan will remember the dominance the early 1990’s Dallas Cowboys Team had in the National Football League.  I remember seeing the games and enjoying my favorite team beat teams like the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.  It was no surprise that the book Boys will be Boys by Jeff Pearlman about the Cowboys caught my attention.

Surprisingly some of the key players for the Cowboy’s Dynasty Team are living in shacks and working assembling line jobs to make ends meet.  Players like Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman are financially stable.  These three superstars have endorsement deals and work as football analyst for FOX, ESPN, and the N.F.L Network.  Other players were able to save money and make wise financial investments.

This book gives the reader an inside look at how fortunes were made and lost in the National Football League.   If you are a football fan and especially a Dallas Cowboys fan, you must take the time to read this Book.  (Click here to check for availability)

Contributed by Jesus Resendez, Library Specialist at the Mid-Valley Campus.