Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics (review)

20ogBook Reviews135 a limiting working-class economy as the elements defining Mexican-American assimilation. The sociologists recognize education as the lynchpin dictating the future for Mexican Americans; they present educational reform as the most salient route for reversing the negative trend. The highest achievement of this project is the design of die study. Telles and Ortiz took full advantage of the opportunities left them by original MASP researchers and accumulated myriad data that will prove useful to a variety of researchers. Their analysis is convincing as well. Certainly Mexican Americans are better positioned than they were in the ig6os; however, the stalled progress and regression between generational assimilation elucidates the problematic characterization within traditional modes. The authors invite debate in their policy proposals by favoring education restructuring over immigration or economic reform, but the ability of improved educational quality to positively affect Mexican-American assimilation is more than plausible. Regardless of any favored prescription, Generations ofExclusion provides a much improved analytical framework for studying Mexican Americans—one that should be considered by all scholars of contemporary United States society. University ofCalifornia-BerkeleyJoseph Orbock Medina Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics. By Dolph Briscoe, as told to Don Carleton. (Austin: Center for American History, 2008. Pp. 296. Illustrations , index. ISBN 9780976669722, $29.95 cloth.) "It was my honor and privilege to serve as the governor of Texas for six wonderful years" (1). This quote is a fitting opening for Dolph Briscoe's autobiography . In this work, the former governor of Texas relates his life experiences to Don Carleton through a series of interviews conducted over an eight-year span. The humble Briscoe, according to Carleton, was driven to produce an autobiography out of his sense of responsibility to and appreciation for Texas history. In many ways, Briscoe was a transitional figure in the Texas cattle industry and in Texas politics. His political influences ranged from Uvalde's prickly John Nance Garner to Sam Rayburn, "Cactus" Jack's erstwhile protégé. Entering Texas politics in the 1950s, Briscoe helped guide a new, more modern Texas through the good and bad times of the post-World War II era. Driven by a life-long desire to serve as governor of Texas, Briscoe finally realized this dream with his victory in the gubernatorial election of 1972. Elected in the wake of the Sharpstown Scandal, Briscoe considered it his duty to restore public faith to the governorship, and his steady and deliberate—if unspectacular —leadership provided the trustworthy guiding force that Texas needed. Reelected in 1974, Briscoe served until defeated by a better organized and resurgent Republican Party in 1978. Returning to private life, Briscoe managed one of the largest cattle operations in the state while amassing a personal business fortune, all the while focusing on the well-being of his beloved family and devoting much of his fortune to various philanthropic efforts in Texas. Unlike many autobiographies, Briscoe's does not offer self-serving explana- 136Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJuly tions for his accomplishments and failures. Briscoe is refreshingly candid about his own insecurities, and he recognizes that his personal faults were often the cause of his setbacks. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this work is that it provides a delightful look at the inner-workings of mid-century Texas politics as practiced by giants like Garner, Rayburn, and Lyndon Johnson. The photos chosen for this book brilliandy capture the moods and personalities ofTexas politicians throughout the era. Occasionally, the editing of the interviews interrupts the natural flow of Briscoe's narrative, but a very down-to-earth, honest, and humble Briscoe still emerges. A man of high integrity who held a genuine appreciation for the judgment and wisdom of the Texans whom he served, Briscoe is not typically included in the pantheon of important Texan leaders. Carleton must be commended for his efforts to bring Dolph Briscoe's story to the public's attention. Texas Tech UniversityKelly E. Crager Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions. By Adrian X. Esparza and Angela J. Donelson. (Tuscon: The University of Arizona Press, 2008. Pp. 208. Illustrations, tables, references. ISBN 978081652, $19.95 paper.) "Colonias." The word conjures stereotypical (but...