Austin-based author, Elizabeth Harris, brings us the story of a woman who is the victim of a violent act. In Mayhem: The Three Lives of a Woman, protagonist, Evelyn Kunkel Gant does indeed live three lives. She is daughter, wife, and then, as a victim of sexual assault, a pariah—one who never receives any kind of compassion or vindication—except through the telling of her story. Elizabeth Harris takes us to the rural Texas of the 1930s—a place immersed in gender and social expectations that

Just west of downtown San Antonio, the Bexar County jail looms like a fortress. It's a seven-story building of stained concrete floors, white cinder block walls and brown heavy steel doors that shut and lock with a certainty. It’s an unforgiving place, but it needs to be. It’s built to hold not-nice people against their will. On any given day more than 4,000 inmates are captive, making it the 16th largest county jail in America. More than 800 of them are dealing with diagnosed mental issues. The

The Texas Identity – what do you think that might be? What does it mean to be “a Texan.” What is a Texas thing to do or say? Most people might think of a John Wayne cowboy type of character as the archetype of the Texas Identity. But has the image hit its expiration date. More Texans live in urban areas than in the country. And even then maybe more Texans today identify with Pedro Infante’s charro than with The Duke. A new book takes a look at the Texas identity with a series of historical

In the spring of 1949 nearly every major newspaper in Texas published an eight-part series called “The Shame of Texas.” It was a shocking and horrid look at the state of mental health care in Texas and exposed them as the nation’s worst mental hospitals. Since then there have been periodic attempts at reform and fully funding mental health care in Texas – with mixed success. Today there continues to be a great unmet need for mental health professionals in the state. One reason for that is the

Thursday Sandra Cisneros received the National Medal of the Arts, the highest honor given for achievement in the arts. Cisneros said she accepted the medal to honor her family and all other hard working Mexican Americans. Sandra Cisneros said she briefly thought about turning down the trip to Washington D.C. to accept the National Medal of the Arts. “At first I wasn’t sure if I should go. I just started a new book and I wanted to be home writing, ” she said. But the part-time resident of San

This week the State House Select Committee on State and Federal Power and Responsibility heard invited testimony on Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to make major fundamental changes to the United States Constitution.

What could be more Texan than Tacos? Tacos are a favorite food but where are the best tacos? And how did tacos become a culinary super star that it is today? Certainly this wasn't always the case. For generations tacos were considered a food of the underclass and not appropriate for polite society. But tacos have arrived . Mando Reyo calls himself a taco journalist and with Jarod Neece has written the book “The Tacos of Texas.” It’s published by the University of Texas Press.

On this Labor Day, a look back to 50 years ago – a labor fight, a strike and a legendary march for better wages, improved working conditions and human dignity for farm workers. On June 1, 1966, farm workers in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley, virtually all of them Latino, left the melon fields. They did the unimaginable and went on strike. They were demanding a $25 dollar-an-hour wage, and improved working conditions, including clean drinking water. The strike was met by derision,

Singer/songwriter Lila Downs uses the traditions and iconography of Mexico to create musical landscapes depicting the great diversity of her homeland. She weaves native music of Mexico with modern day styles including rock, blues, mariachi and cumbia. Throughout her career Downs has received several awards, including a Grammy, a number of Latin Grammys. She has developed a global audience of dedicated listeners who are as drawn to her for her unique music as for her activism on social issues –

"The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" opened on Broadway in 1978 and was a hit musical comedy, winning two Tony Awards. In 1982 it was turned into a film with Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. The play and the film told the story about the Chicken Ranch – a brothel – which was a Texas institution. But where does the movie end and reality begin? The book “ Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch ” exposes how the chicken ranch began and how it stayed open – and how it was finally closed. Jayme Lynn Blaschke