The book I Would Rather Sleep in Texas is among the complete studies written on the Lower Rio Grande Valley in which the authors use not only written arguments but also maps and pictures to emphasize their points. Therefore, the purpose of the authors is to tell the reader about the live historical events that occurred between 1748-1940 in the Rio with the help of maps, pictures, and written dispute. I Would Rather Sleep in Texas is a compelling and worthwhile book due to the fact that it illustrates how people struggled to make the Lower Rio Grande Valley their home.
The inclusion of family ties and the impact of the background events in the Rio presuppose that the residents of Santa Anita Land Grande were among the primary people that the history events revolved around. As compared to other works done on a similar topic, one can notice that I Would Rather Sleep in Texas has the most emphasized and illustrated content. The book is written by Mary McAllen Amberson, James McAllen, and Margret McAllen and the story is about their family background. It is a good book and a person interested in the events of the Lower Rio Grande Valley will find it appealing.
I can confidently say that this book is a true blockbuster that follows intermingled families and fortunes of Texas. Furthermore, due to the comprehensive research undertaken by the authors, my knowledge of the history of the Lower Rio Grande Valley has greatly increased. It is true as the book offers a very significant insight into what was happening throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the given time frame. According to Mary McAllen Amberson, James McAllen, and Margaret McAllen, “the development on both sides of the Lower Rio Grande Valley remained market driven up until the current state.”
Evidently, the current market at the Rio tends to remain the current residents from different cities and countries and the importance of preserving their history. It is true because the market shows that the events occurring at the Lower Rio Grande Valley are more of a juncture than a divide. The rationale of the perspective is based on the fact that the residents currently live in unity and harmony as compared to how they were back then. The content of the book is significant, and hence, likely to interest individuals who do not live in Texas due to the fact that it describes how live events have unfolded up to this day.
It is a well-written book on the background of McAllen, Young & Balli Families who are among the authors. The author Mary McAllen Amberson has taken a good approach because the discussed issue is related to her family history. The used approach is based on facts that either she or her relatives and friends experienced during that era. Therefore, the presence of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents has been significant from the perspective of preserving their history. The relevance of her relatives can be depicted in the way she uses facts to highlight her rationale for writing the book.
The cover of the book consists of family members ranging from the grandparents, parents, and grandchildren. The purpose of the cover book is to show that the information written in the book revolves around them. Furthermore, the authors have taken the right approach of including pictures of the McAllen family as the front cover because the events occurring at the Lower Rio Grande Valley were based on their lifestyle. One of the approaches that the authors have not fully taken into consideration is the one of including a family tree. The presence of a family tree would help the reader to understand better how the McAllen generation has evolved in terms of taking over the inheritance.
Thus, I feel that more effort should have been made to include the family tree. Furthermore, not all maps have been utilized by the authors hence, it is an indication that not all information has been used. Moreover, issues that followed the events of the Lower Rio Grande Valley have not fully been demonstrated. Additionally, the inclusion of a cover page that shows only the McAllen family members is not a good approach because the event also consisted of other members. Therefore, it would be better if the cover of the book had the modern market of Rio. It would show the changes that have been initiated and the benefits that the Lower Rio Grande Valley has gained.
The authors have also taken the initiative to demonstrate how steamboats were used in the inland waterways as the primary means of transportation. It is a good approach as it shows that people used to move from one place to another through steamboats. Furthermore, the presence of entrepreneurs, Texas Rangers, empire builders and Cowboys shows different kinds of work they did to earn a livelihood and lead a normal life. Additionally, the above mentioned kinds of work have been preserved to illustrate that they value their historical culture. Some of the images such as a cowboy have been used in movies to depict how life has changed. Fundamentally, the support offered by the writers is an insinuation that it is a good book as it covers a broad sweep of Texas and Borderlands background.
Having read the book, I can certainly say that now I have a better understanding of the struggles and hardships the individuals of the Lower Rio Grande Valley had to endure to survive. The book covers the difficult period between 1910-1920 when the bandit raids into Texas were linked to a plan made in Germany, whereby Mexico was meant to take back Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona as a way of distracting the U.S from the European war. Therefore, the book is of the essence because it offers an understanding of the dynamics that occurred in the ancient time and the current world.