One Christmas in Old Tascosa (review)

250Southwestern Historical QuarterlyOctober One Christmas in Old Tascosa. By Casandra Firman. (Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2006. Pp. 104. Illustrations. ISBN o8g672588X. $21.95, cloth.) One Christmas in Old Tascosa is a wonderful and compelling story. Casandra Firman has put together what will no doubt become a treasured Christmas classic for all lovers of Texas tales. Firman's mother, Quintille Speck-Firman Garmany, recounts a special Christmas in a bitterly poor, Depression-era Tascosa that speaks to hope and possibilities across all ages and times. Tascosa, one of die poorest of the lost Panhandle towns, is now the site of CaI Farley's Boys' Ranch. It is appropriate that one of the state's most meaningful and hopeful institutions should be located there. The story opens widi Mrs. Garmany reminiscing with her daughters about a Christmas of her childhood. This being a story the daughters had not heard, they encourage their mother to tell them the tale. It turns out to be one of the most poignant and intriguing of all her memories and leads die girls to discover more about the time and place of their mother's childhood. The story is not only about a young girl and her school days but also about the unrelenting poverty of die Depression and Dust Bowl days, true friendships, and abiding love. We are introduced to a loving but stern teacher, a trusted friend, a potential sweetheart, and a true character ofthe Old West, Frenchie McCormick. All ofthese people tug at you and make you want to learn more about them and die times in which they lived. Red Steagall contributes a foreword and a song about Frenchie McCormick that makes the reader wish to learn more about the time, people, and place of Old Tascosa. Steagall appreciates a good tale but also shows a deeper understanding ofthe hope, love, and character of the people in the story. The illustrations byJudy Wise are a perfect addition to die tale. They evoke a feeling of the period and are framed in such a way that they feel as if one is looking through an album of memories and photographs while listening to a treasured family tale. This reader will look deeper into the history ofTascosa and try to find out more about Frenchie McCormick. One also hopes that Firman will continue to record her mother's memories and bring to her readers more of her mother's stories of hope, friendship, and love. VictoriaDeborah Bloys Hardin ...