The Charles Bowden Reader Book

Foreword Jim Harrison vii

Introduction by the Editors ix

Part I

Coming to Arizona, from Arizona Highways 3

Bats, from Blue Desert 7

Speech Excerpt from North Dakota Geological Conference 16

Excerpt from Killing the Hidden Waters 18

Snaketime, from Wild Earth 27

Excerpt from Inferno 39

Part II

One Thing in Common: Sadness, from the Tucson Citizen 47

Excerpt from "Using Our Children for Sex," from the Tucson Citizen 51

Rape, from the Tucson Citizen 53

Torch Song, from Harper's 78

Part III

Excerpt from the 2008 Photography Exhibit "The History of the Future" 101

While You Were Sleeping, from Harper's 105

Don Francisco Must Be Stopped, from USA Today 122

Excerpt from Exodus 124

Outback Nightmares and Refugee Dreams, from Mother Jones 133

Part IV

Excerpt from Shadow in the City 149

The Pariah, from Esquire 159

Ike and Lyndon, from Harper's 183

Extraordinary Rendition 204

Epilogue on Edward Abbey 215

The Bone Garden of Desire, from Esquire 220

Part V

Letter to Barbara Houlberg 237

Excerpt from Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing 239

Excerpt from Desierto: Memories of the Future 242

Excerpt from Blues for Cannibals 245

Excerpt from Killing the Hidden Waters 252

Excerpt from Blood Orchid 255

Excerpt from Blues for Cannibals 266

Excerpt from Desierto; Memories of the Future 269

Excerpt from Inferno 273

Afterword: Excerpt from Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing 283