Under the X in Texas: Little Stories from the Big Country

by Mike Renfro

Meet people who stick to the roof of your mind. Make the acquaintance of assorted inanimate objects and farm animals. Discover where the sticky things start.Those who would say Mike Renfro's essays are limited to Texas are only half right. Yes, Texas is the backdrop for each of these diverse "little stories from the big country," but more than landscape binds them. Mike Renfro writes about the tradition and folklore of Texas, the fiber and fabric of its people. He gives us cowboys and cranks; old women with white hair and legendary cooking skills; old ranchers whose love of chewing tobacco has outlasted their teeth. One man is remembered for his distinctive laugh, another for the roar of his Chevy on a country road when he's had too much to drink and the bark of his .410 shotgun discharging. There is an ode to the Thunderstorm Womb, a barber shop revisited, a lament for the passing of drive-ins, praise for the pleasure of screen doors. There's even Clay Henry, the goat with the legendary thirst for cold beer who eventually finds himself elected mayor of Lajitas. These essays stitch a patchwork wide and warm as Texas itself, no thread unnecessary, no detail too small. To read Mike Renfro is to remember that it's the people, not just the land, of Texas who have built its legend and legacy.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Kristofer Schleicher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Renfro’s Under the X in Texas should be on every bookshelf in Texas. He knows why you might want to leave, how you will regret it if you do, and that you will spend the rest of your life trying to get back. The book is collection of essays growing out of his years as NPR’s Texas Foreign Correspondent for Weekend Edition. Mike will make you laugh and tear up at the same time, as he preserves the stories of things left behind and things worth holding on to. He knows and loves Texas and Texans. If you are not from Texas, no book will help you better understand those of us who are. If you are a Texan, this book will help you understand yourself. BTW, Mike is also the author of Shine On, the acclaimed book on the 100-year legacy of the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas.

[Erin Renfro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be a little biased on this one.