Believing in Place: A Spiritual Geography of the Great Basin by Richard V. Francaviglia (review)

b o o k R e v ie w s 2 1 9 Believing in Place: A Spiritual Qeography of the Qreat Basin. By Richard V. Francaviglia. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2003. 312 pages, $24-95. Reviewed by Edgar H. Thompson Emory &. Henry College, Emory, Virginia In a series of essays, personal yet scholarly, Francaviglia tries to give read­ ers a feeling for what so many people in the Great Basin come to feel: they are not there accidentally but for reasons “mystical and beyond comprehension” (xix). The titles of each chapter provide a sense of how the book approaches these topics: Landscape and Storytelling; Darkness and Light; Water and Memory; Stories in Stone; Encounters with the Wind; In Search of the Great Spirit; Chosen People, Chosen Land; Vanishing Cities of Zion; Pilgrimages to Babylon; Landscapes of Armageddon; Into Sacred Places; and Believing in Place. Each of these essays includes personal observations from Francaviglia’s travels through the Great Basin, and into these themed personal narratives, he blends various Native American myths, Judeo-Christian beliefs, elements of the Mormon faith, and other cultural and religious perspectives. Ultimately, he demonstrates how all of these factors intersect with one another to create a sense of spirituality that is related to geographic place. For instance, when discussing how the movie Vanishing Point (1971) cap­ tures some sense of the spirit of the desert and how people like Kowalski, the main character in the movie, may interact with it, Francaviglia finds while he is driving across a white lake bed that he, too, “like the three cameras filming Kowalski’s escape, can simultaneously see the car from several vantage points— looking down at it as if it’s one of those cars roaring across dry lakes in a TV commercial” (232). From his own experience, he can understand Kowalski’s search for both freedom and redemption. This kind of personal experience is analyzed against more detailed historical, cultural, and literary information. Francaviglia addresses all of these issues in relation to place and a larger sense of spirituality. He engages in this kind of analysis and synthesis throughout the book. Of note, many of the concepts Francaviglia shares may be new to readers. For instance, Las Vegas is known as “Sin City” in large part due to gambling, yet Francaviglia points out that the entire history of the Great Basin has revolved around many people taking chances, not just casino gamblers but also miners and Native Americans. For example, the Anasazi and the Piutes have a long history of engaging in games of chance. In the end, Francaviglia comes to “see places as reflections of the human bodies we love and lose, the human souls we cherish in memory, the plants and animals with whom we inhabit the earth, and the god(s) we worship” (248). Joining him on the journey to this conclusion is worth taking the time to read this book. ...