"A marvelous work."-- Journal of the West "Addresses the complex and interwoven themes of race, class, and gender in a borderlands region while foregrounding the stories of children."-- Pacific Historical Review "A richly textured and important study delineating continuity and change in the lives and cultural practices of Alamo Navajo, Hispanic, and Anglo residents of west-central New Mexico."-- New Mexico Historical Review "Adams has crafted a remarkable history of Magdalena, New Mexico through the oral histories of the Alamao Navajo, Hispanic, and Anglo children who grew up there in the last century. a nuanced history of childhood and learning. Adams reconstructs what it was like to grow up in a small, tricultural ranching and farming community in the twentieth century."-- History of Education Quarterly "Rarely is such an insightful historical analysis such a pleasure to read. Adams has written an extraordinary and accessible work that will appeal to anyone interested in U.

S. Southwest and borderlands history, ethnicity studies, and indigenous and Latino history."-- Journal of American History "[Adams's] work navigates the cultural context and social intersections of three distinct groups within the immediate region of Magdalena--Hispanics, Anglos, and Navajos. What emerges is a multicultural, yet remarkably intimate portrait of a distinct place in the American Southwest."-- Western Historical Quarterly "The stories that [Adams] relates highlight the ways in which children in the Magdalena region internalized difference while simultaneously figuring out how to transcend the strictures of the worldview they had been raised with in order to find economic, social, and personal success. Adams's writing style is engaging, and he presents readers with a plethora of intriguing stories from Magdalena."-- H-Net Reviews "Throughout this account, the author successfully meshes children's experiences into a broader discussion of how family, community, religion, and place have influenced the coming-of-age process and identity formation."-- Montana The Magazine of Western History "Although Adams is clearly a talented practitioner of borderlands history, his book's true power lies in his exceptionally clear prose and command of narrative history.

Reading like a fine novel, Adams's history of children, families and growing up in a rural borderland reads with a compassion that is rare among the heap of detached scholarly works. This book is a treasure. Essential."-- Choice.