B. Traven, in a series of short stories captures the mind and soul of rural Mexico in days likely gone forever. Each story, beginning with that of the Kidnapped Saint, draws on the moral and social code of these people in ways that draw you in wanting more. Also, Traven shows a great sense of humor in the description of the characters and events. A joy to read.

Don't miss Rick Bass's Foreword. Then those who have lived in the East, been transplanted or at least traveled in the Southwest, fallen in love with the ochre and vermillion mix of color as it is beheld in New Mexican light, are those who will love the Georgia O'Keefeness of Alan Cheuse's story. The question of what is fact and what is fiction haunts the reader all the way through. I would remind the reader to accept the story for what it is rather than comparing what seem to be facts to the real life of the famous painter. Cheuse has sensitively captured the various voices of the characters who narrate. A bit slow-going at first, the pace picks up until the reader is pulled into the passion in spite of the seeming objectivity of the narrative style. Having been to the home of Georgia O'Keefe, and having reclaimed my soul that wandered there ahead of my visit, reading the novel was like returning home. I cannot help but wonder how a reader who has not experienced that "light possessed" can appreciate Cheuse's description of the Blue Mesa.

Characters all seem cut from the same clueless cloth (except for the title character in "Hernando Alonso"). They are unable to understand the people around them, and sex seems to be their only metaphor. By contrast, Karen Joy Fowler's stories in "Black Glass" show great variety in character, style, tone, and structure.

Perhaps it is because as the literary commentator for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" Cheuse reviews the finest literature in contemporary English language, that his own writing is of the same caliber. His lush use of language in his stories draws the reader in just the same way that his deep, engaging voice does on the radio. No person of literary tastes should be without this collection.