The
Silence and the Sun ,
by Joe De Kehoe
I have always loved the sounds and smell of the
Mojave Desert. Whenever I can, I travel on dirt roads away
from the paved highways and have found that in most places,
I only have to go a mile or so before I find myself in a wonderland
of what still seems like undiscovered potential. I just finished
a new book by Joe de Kehoe that has that unique power to transport
me out of my office and into that land I love to wander in.
You might not think that a book that purports to be "An
historical account of people, places and events on old Route
66 and railroad communities in the Eastern Mojave Desert,
California" would actually be a very effective "magic
carpet." History books have never really captured my
attention or interest much, but this book makes me smile every
time I pick it up. There is something about the author's prose
and style that touches my heart. In just a few paragraphs,
The Silence and the Sun allows me to transcend the
ordinary humdrum of my workday.
I actually read most of this book while sitting
in airport departure lounges on a trip last month that had
more than its share of unexpected delays. Snow threatened
in Denver, and winds howled in Chicago, but in the world so
capably described by Joe de Kehoe, it was 127 degrees in the
shade in the nearly forgotten town of Chubbuck. I was laughing
out loud at the questionable medical techniques used by a
young man to treat his friend's dog who had just been bitten
on the lip by a rattlesnake. To explain my laughter -- the
young man had seen a rescue technique in a comic book that
involved filling the wound with gunpowder and lighting it.
Unlike the dog, who -- believe it or not -- survived
the gunpowder treatment, most of the towns and settlements
the author profiles have long since met their ends. But spend
an hour or two with this book and the vivid details of the
lives of the people who lived and worked in this harsh region
will come alive again. The Silence and the Sun includes
scores of black and white historical photos and recent color
photos to illustrate and explain what remains today. In fact,
one of the outstanding elements of this book is that the author
has provided detailed driving directions for visiting these
little-known former towns and hamlets. He has also created
maps of the physical landmarks that remain.
Many people wax nostalgic over old Route 66.
For those who love the Mother Road, there's a truly fascinating
chapter on the toponymy of Route 66 between Danby and Bagdad.
The chapter includes dozens more details, but one fascinating
bit of history is that there are at least 15 different names
for this one short stretch of road. My personal favorite is
the "Dandy Desert Road," but a number of others
are similarly entertaining.
I recommend The Silence and the Sun to
anyone who needs to take 10-minute work break and travel to
a land far, far, away. In addition to being a wonderfully
written magic carpet of a book, it's a fabulously well-researched
look at one of my favorite places in North America.
Mark
Sedenquist
3/21/08
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