Rusty Williams

The Red River Bridge War
Author: Rusty Williams
Publisher: Texas A&M Press
Publishing Date: 2016
Edition/Volume: 1st
Pgs: 275
Dewey: 976.4062 - WIL
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
Traffic. Interstate commerce. Toll bridges. The Great Depression. Texas. Oklahoma. The courts. Money. The National Guard. Court injunctions blocking use of a brand new free bridge.

75¢ toll to cross back and forth between Texas and Oklahoma...in the Great Depression.

Triggered by the political connections of the toll bridge owners who were being put out of business by the new state highway bridge and the political ambitions of the two governors eyeing higher office.

Newspaper readers nationwide were entertained by the coverage of the Red River Bridge War. And while the nation smirked at it, the toll bridge business in a time of tightened belts and unemployment when rural America desperately needed free bridges and passable roads.
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Genre:
Engineering
Transportation
Automotive
History
Americas
United States
State
Local
Great Depression
Texas
Oklahoma

Why this book:
A chapter of Texas-Oklahoma history that I was unfamiliar with. As I was reading it, I kept looking for family names to pop up.
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Least Favorite Character:
Texas Governor Sterling was an arrogant piece of work. In the middle of the Great Depression, his big plan was for neighbors to get their out of work neighbors to do odd jobs. His words to the Texas populace, “Don't’ worry about the hard times. Just go to work.”

Hmm Moments:
In today’s money that 75¢ toll to cross the Red River would be $13.75.

Meh / PFFT Moments:
Oklahoma history and the “resettlement” of the Five Tribes is severely whitewashed here.

The Sigh:
Why isn’t this in elementary history books? School kids would eat this up.

Alright...that right there...some of this is mythology. “The [Oklahoma farm] girls stayed behind the boys, quiet.” Said no one who has ever met an Oklahoma farm girl. It’s an interesting story but you feel like something is off. The author is fictionalizing some of this as filler. And now that “people don’t act like that” feeling makes sense.

Juxtaposition:
Oil vs Agriculture. Wealth vs Small Family Farms. The Great Depression. Texas vs Oklahoma.

The privatization giving way to public and free roads lies in sharp contrast to our current rush toward re-privatization. Roads in Texas are moving more and more toward toll roads.

The real story of the Red River Bridge War is political expediency in the way Sterling dealt with the originating problem and political theater in the way Murray responded to the closure of the bridge.
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Pacing:
Well paced.

Last Page Sound:
Enjoyed it.

Author Assessment:
Will give other stuff by this author a look.
_________________________________________________… (mehr)

I think many of us probably know the feeling of gazing up to the sky above and say "Why, God? Why, me? Why, now?" I know that I certainly have had this feeling many times. Some days it just feels like "What else can possibly go wrong?" Can I Get There From Here is a book written to make you smile, laugh and find your faith in God.

Rusty Williams takes us on a journey through faith or maybe I should say questioning our faith. This isn't a preachy book. He's not trying to impress anyone with how many Bible quotes he can include on each page. It's plain, simple writing that will make you smile and even laugh along with him as you picture his godchild running full force at him with a chocolate ice cream cone on the day of his big meeting when he's all dressed up in his spotless suit.

The author walks us through common questions many people have in faith including: Is there a God? Is He a loving God? Are we all God's children? Does He know us? Did Jesus live? Did He die on the cross? Did He know He was going to die that way? and a host of other questions that may have gone through our minds at one point or another in our lives.

I love the way this book is written. I've read too many inspirational books that are deep, heavy, and difficult read. If I can't get through it, I can't be inspired. I want to laugh and smile and find hope and joy in every day events. Rusty Williams has given me that with Can I Get There From Here?

In his words, "If this book crammed religion and faith and worship down your throat, how far would you have gotten?" Pick up a copy of Can I Get There From Here and answer that question for yourself… (mehr)