Texas

An exploration of the multifaceted characters and complex events that have defined the Lone Star State from its inception through today.

When Americans turn on their laptops, play video games, go to church, vote, eat Tex-Mex, shop for groceries, listen to music, grill steaks, or watch football, they are, knowingly or not, paying tribute to Texas. Tracing the profound and surprising story of the Lone Star State, Benjamin Heber Johnson shines new light on why Texas has had such a powerful influence on U.S. history.

Texas is known to outsiders for mob violence, swaggering self-conception, and conservative politics. However, Johnson reveals that the state has also been at the forefront of taming frontier violence, establishing LGBTQ rights, and developing modern businesses such as organic food and personal computing.

Neither looking away from the dark chapters of Texas history nor letting them overshadow the achievements of democracy and pluralism that are some of the state's greatest legacies, Johnson offers a balanced and inclusive history of an often contentious and stereotyped region. He covers topics such as the persistence of Native Americans, the frontier story of the Alamo, agrarian populism, racial segregation, the state's porous border with Mexico, and the way historical memory continues to shape the state's identity.

The reality of Texas, Johnson shows us, is even bigger than we think it is.