In Our Hearts and Minds: An Anthology of Northwest Writing ed. by Michael Daley (review)

Reviews 237 Mountains of western Colorado and the high plateaus of central Utah, and obviously likes what he sees. Barnes’enthusiasm for this region shows through­ out this slim volume as he invites the reader to share, enjoy and protect this distinctively unique portion of Utah. Supported by a collection of stunning photographs, including many of his own, Barnes supplies the reader with succinct descriptions of the natural history, human history and recreational potential of the canyon country. While he makes no attempt to exhaust any one topic he does, in the first two-thirds of the book, review the geology, prehistoric life, wildlife, plant life, climate, weather and seasons of this region that has been occupied at various times by the Anasazi and Fremont Indians, Spanish explorers, cattlemen, outlaws and Mormon pioneers. In the last third of the book, Barnes provides brief descrip­ tions of the region’s numerous national parks, national monuments and state parks, highlighting some of the popular recreational activities pursued in these playgrounds such as river rafting, backpacking and photography. Barnes punctuates his portrait of Utah’s canyon country with a series of mini-essays that focus on particular aspects of the environment. In one he explains how cliffs and towers are formed, and in others where to look for “rock graphics” and ghost towns. Similarly, Barnes cautions would-be explorers about the potential dangers associated with recreational experiences in this region and promotes the laws, including the Antiquities Act, that serve to protect the resources of this rich region. Utah Canyon Country should be a valuable tool for those planning to explore this vast layered land in the future. NANCY WARNER Utah State University In Our Hearts and Minds: An Anthology of Northwest Writing. Edited by Michael Daley. (Port Townsend, Washington: Empty Bowl, 1986. 131 pages, $7.00.) The words “An Anthology of Northwest Writing” in this book’s subtitle are somewhat misleading. They seem to promise a collection by Northwesterners which addresses the life of that region. But with the exception of editor Michael Daley’s brief introduction and his selection, “Passengers,” an account of a freight-hopping journey from Central America north to Washington State, the Northwest is hardly mentioned. Rather, the book is a gathering of travel accounts, fiction, and poetry about contemporary conditions in Central America, written by Central Americans and by Pacific Northwest contributors. The echo of Vietnam in the book’s main title is more truly indicative of its political thrust, and its record of human agonies in which our government is more and more deeply involved. 238 Western American Literature The Port Townsend locus of the book—it was published there, many of its contributors are associated with that city, and Port Townsend has a sister city in Nicaragua—and the strength of the Sanctuary movement in the North­ west, help to explain the Northwest origins of the book, as does “the humane impulse of passion,” in Daley’s words, which motivates it. Contributors include Central American revolutionary artists and such Northwest notables as Giovanni Costigan, well-known emeritus professor of history at the University of Washington, and Brent Shirley, a Reagan Repub­ lican and mayor of Port Townsend who spent 15 days in Nicaragua. Short of going to see for ourselves, we can grasp something of Central American conditions by reading this book. GLEN A. LOVE University of Oregon Dead Kachina Man. By Teresa VanEtten. (Santa Fe: Sunstone Press, 1986. 131 pages, $10.95 paperback.) The central problem of this story is supposed to be who killed a celebrated carver of kachina dolls. Most readers, however, will be praying—vainly—for the killer to eliminate many more of the stereotypical figures confusing what may loosely be called the plot. Locals and strangers, drug dealers and black­ mailers enter and fade away rather arbitrarily, while our hero, Dominique Rios of the Jerez, New Mexico police force, plods gamely through the deep sand of Ms. VanEtten’sprose trying to solve meaningless mysteries. This is not the very best introduction available to life and death in Pueblo cultures, but at least it is difficult for me to imagine a case of insomnia this book couldn’t cure. KARL KROEBER...