Sand in Our Shoes: Chasing the American Dream

by Julian M. King, Anne E. Coe (Illustrator), Rosemary Shearer (Editor)

World War II was over. Julian and Lucy King packed their worldly possesions into the back ofa '41 Ford convertible, left New York City and headed west in search of their dream. The found their Shangra-La in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. The tale of their adventures as they built Kings Ranch Resort, turning a castle in the air to reality, is now told after over 50 years. Here are the Kings, the cowboys and prospectors, the vagabonds and desparados of America's last frontier

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2007

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in a store near the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. It's the story of Julian & Lucy King who gave up their city life and jobs in New York and ventured out to Arizona after WWII. Their goal was to build a guest ranch at the foot of the Superstition Mountains and they did. The story is told delightfully with tales of local characters, gold prospectors, and events both tragic and funny laced throughout. It takes a certain kind of person to build something out of nothing, especially in the heat of Arizona summers! Julian King is honest about their trials but his deep love for the desert is evident. I really enjoyed this book!

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julian & Lucy King set out from New York in the early 1940's and settle in the desert of Arizona near the Superstition Mountains. The tale of their adventures as they built Kings Ranch Resort, gives great insight into the struggles of survival in the desert with little to protect them from the elements, villians or critters living there.
A great read and yes, there really is a King's Ranch Resort in Gold Canyon, Arizona. I have been there.

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read as it was center close to home near Apache Junction AZ. A nice insight to the area.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting for this book is the Arizona desert very near to where we stay for the winter. It was great fun to read it as I am familiar with many of the places he talks about. Great stories of adventures in the early years of settling Arizona.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a gift, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It was quite delightful, and gave me some insight into the development of the east side of the Phoenix metro area.