THE SUMMER OF '53: A Bullion Plaza Story

THE SUMMER OF '53: A Bullion Plaza Story by Samuel B. Munoz

Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats – the game is about to begin!

The old basketball court, silent and idle lo these many years, is suddenly filled with noise and excitement. Listen to the rhythmic bouncing of the ball. Keep your eyes on Number 11 as he methodically scans the court. Echoes of a tension-filled era tremble in his soul while memories of segregation revolve in his mind. In spite of the booing demons of prejudice and injustice, Number 11 makes his way down the court with style and grace. The player is Samuel B. Munoz of Miami, Arizona, whose book, The Summer of 53: A Bullion Plaza Story, makes an imposing entrance into the annals of Arizona’s history.

$20

THE WORM IN MY TOMATO

THE WORM IN MY TOMATO
by Dr. Santos C. Vega

"By the railroad tracks of the Miami Depot;
There we stood, marked for departure.
We wept, sad to leave Miami."

During the Great Depression President Herbert Hoover authorized the deportation of more than ½ million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in what was called "Mexican Repatriation." Santos Vega was just 6 months old in 1932 when his family boarded the the Repatriation Train at the Miami Depot. In his book, THE WORM IN MY TOMATO, author and educator Vega tells the heart-wrenching story of his own family’s “voluntary” repatriation from Miami, Arizona to rural Mexico and back.

$20

FABULOUS COFFEE BAR/GIFT SHOP FOR LEASE!

COFFEE SHOP/GIFT SHOP SPACE FOR LEASE!

Incorporated in our successful bookstore, which is housed in a 1918 bank building, we have a GREAT space that includes a kitchen that has been approved by the Gila County Health Department as a snack bar. It also has space that can be used for dining and/or a small gift shop. This space can be accessed both from the street and from our bookstore, which is right on busy Highway 60 in the historic mining town of Miami, Arizona. We are offering to lease this wonderful space to the right person or persons for just $500 per month. This amount includes the use of the space, all kitchen equipment, and utilities (water, sewer & garbage, electricity and wireless internet service). A $1500 down payment is required, to include the first & last month lease payment, a $250 (refundable) cleaning deposit and $250 (non-refundable) for all coffee shop supplies on hand at time of lease signing.

For more information, please contact us by email at thebookbank@cableone.net by phone at 928-473-4134 or 928-812-3287.

BOOK SIGNING, SUNDAY MAY 25TH 1-4 PM

Many American Indian cultures regard the passage from childhood to adulthood as a pivotal phase of life, and have devised rituals to affirm traditional values and community support for its members. These rituals are a positive social force in many Native American communities. In her book, EMPOWERMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GIRLS: Ritual Expressions at Puberty, Carol Markstrom describes the female puberty rituals of four tribes, paying particular attention to the Apache Sunrise Dance, which is described and analyzed here in great detail. Meet the author of EMPOWERMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GIRLS ($49.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.

• Robert Keil was born in 1898, ran away from home at the age of 15 and lied about his age to join the calvalry. He served with the Eighth U.S. Cavalry in the wild and sparsely populated Big Bend country of West Texas during the violent years of the Mexican Revolution. In a book titled BOSQUE BONITO: Violent Times Along the Borderland During the Mexican Revolution, Robert “Bob” Keil tells about the beauty of the Big Bend country, as well as the violence and tragedies he witnessed there between 1913 and 1918, which both impressed and haunted him throughout the remainder of his life. Meet the heirs of Robert Keil, author of BOSQUE BONITO ($19.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.
  

• Sometime around 1914 Chrysotile, Arizona was established at the bottom of Ash Creek Canyon, about 60 miles from Globe, as an asbestos mining town. Over time, the town of Chrysotile was nearly forgotten. Now, based on the notes, history and pictures of Frank Knuckey, Chrysotile is brought to life again in a book of the same name compiled by Gene Knuckey. Here you’ll learn about the good times and the bad as you explore the work and play of those who lived in this remote area, from the town’s humble beginnings to its final closing in 1945. Meet Gene Knuckey, author of CHRYSOTILE ARIZONA: 1914 to 1945 ($11.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.

MEET THE AUTHORS!

Meet these fine authors at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami, AZ's Boomtown Spree - A celebration of our mining history!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - APRIL 19TH & 20TH, 2008

Spirits in the Mountain by William Johnson & Michael Johnson

Jacob Waltz – known today as The Lost Dutchman – was a man who spent a great deal of his life keeping a secret that would one day make his life an open book. Adolf Ruth – did he wander off in the wilderness in 1931 and die a natural death – or was he murdered? The Peralta Stone Tablets were discovered sticking out of the ground near the highway in 1949 by a family vacationing in Arizona. Are they fake or are they fact? Authors and brothers, Bill and Michael Johnson, believe they have discovered the answers, which they’ve compiled into their newly released book - SPIRITS IN THE MOUNTAIN: Very, Very Dangerous. Find the Heart. Find the Treasure. Meet these authors at The Book Bank on Saturday and Sunday, April 19th and 20th, during Miami’s Boomtown Spree.

History of Arizona's Clifton-Morenci Mining District byTed Cogut & Bill Conger

The Clifton-Morenci Mining District can lay claim to many “firsts” in the history of copper mining in Arizona:

the first copper ingot smelted
the first mine railroad
the first concentrator
the first to treat porphyry ores successfully

Read about the changing technology of copper mining, from the earliest days in the underground to the era of open pit mining, in History of Arizona's Clifton-Morenci Mining District. Meet Ted & Bill at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Saturday, April 19th!

Plants of the Sonoran Desert, Foods of the Superstitions & Flat Cactus Jack by Don Wells and Jean Groen

Don and Jean have real heart for the Sonoran Desert. Together they have authored three books about our beautiful desert and its many useful plants. When they’re not writing about the desert, they’re conducting classes, giving lectures, leading hikes, and teaching people how to cook with desert plants. These wonderful people are on a mission to encourage people of all ages to love and care for the desert. Meet Don & Jean at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Saturday, April 19th!

Mother Magma: A Memoir of Underground Life in the San Manuel Copper Mine by Onofre Tafoya

Onofre “Taffy” Tafoya’s commitment to mining and hard work, and his love for the “best of people” gave birth to his written testament - Mother Magma: A Memoir of Underground Life in the San Manuel Copper Mine. Here, in words and pictures, the author takes us inside the San Manuel Copper Mine to witness the never-before told story of one of the most productive mines in the world. Be "lowered" into this amazing world and experience through the author’s eyes the intense and admirable endeavors of a courageous group of men who work inside the entrails of Mother Earth. Tafoya describes the dangers of underground mining and minces no words about how men died. Meet Mr. Tafoya at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Sunday, April 20th.

When Silver Was King by Jack San Felice

Fighting fierce Apaches and intense desert heat, four prospectors found a fortune in silver just four miles north of present-day Superior, Arizona. In fact, they discovered a real “king” of a mine back in 1875, aptly naming it the Silver King, which soon became one of the most famous mines in Arizona, indeed, in all the west. The Silver King’s riches provided prosperity for many of the Arizona Territory’s early pioneers, as well as the catalyst for settling the Central Arizona Territory. Meet the author of When Silver Was King at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Sunday, April 20th.

IMAGES OF AMERICA: ASH FORK, ARIZONA

In his homespun style Marshall writes about the Ash Fork’s beginnings as a railroad town on the Santa Fe mainline in the 1880s to its decline in the 1970s when Route 66 was closed, the railroad bypassed the town, the famous Harvey House was abandoned and demolished, and the business district burned in a fire and was never rebuilt.

$19.95

Call Marlene Tiede at 928-473-4134 for more information.