Reviews for Smeltertown: Making and Remembering a Southwest Border Community

The average rating for Smeltertown: Making and Remembering a Southwest Border Community based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-19 00:00:00 Jeff Stenger An environmental justice story that is more complicated that it appears because of the intricate relationships the community has built with its company-owned town. It's a really good book with a good analysis of the situation written by an author who has roots in the place. I only read the 1st and 3rd part though.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-08-12 00:00:00 Elwood Hopkins I liked it, but like this reviewer, I think Mendlesohn has got the cart before the horse. Attempt to classify fantasy novels is like herding cats. They are slippery creatures, leaping and diving through taxonomy at will. Categorizing the different narrative techniques and discussing how different novels make use of (a mix of) these techniques would have, to me, made more sense. Her argument isn't helped by a lack of clarity in her writing. The chapter on the portal fantasy is easily the best. In other sections at times Mendlesohn relies more heavily on a synopsis of the books she discusses than on a clear articulation of her classification structure. Glad I read it, though: some interesting points to think about and Mendlesohn shows a great understanding of, and love for, the genre.