Elroy Bode's books on nature and life have made him a favorite of readers and critics. Here he explores his home city of El Paso, the land and people of Central Texas, and his roles as teacher, father, and writer. These sharply observed, beautifully written pieces find the universal in the particular a young boy in a barbershop, plaza life, a young couple in Smokey's Barbecue. Like the work of Wendell Berry and John Graves, Bode's writing is rooted in the notion that one's work ought to be connected with one's place. He takes pleasure in the simple life, finding and giving voice to what might otherwise go unnoticed.--Adapted.

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