Battle For The Heart Of Texas

Texas is a solid red state. Or trending purple. Or soon to be blue. One thing is certain: as Texas looms ever larger in national politics, the makeup of its electorate increasingly matters. At a critical moment, as migration, immigration, and a maturing populace alter the state’s political landscape, this book presents a deeply researched, data-rich look at who Texas voters are, what they want, and what it might mean for the future of the Republican and Democratic parties, the state, and the nation. Battle for the Heart of Texas goes beyond the pronouncements of leaders and pundits to reveal voters’ nuanced opinions—about the 2020 Democratic primary candidates, state and national Republicans’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, and issues such as immigration and gun policy. Working with an unprecedented cache of polling figures and qualitative data from surveys and focus groups—the product of a cooperative effort between the Dallas Morning News and The University of Texas at Tyler—Mark Owens, Kenneth A. Wink, and Kenneth Bryant Jr. provide an in-depth examination of what is reshaping voter preferences across Texas, including the partisan impact of the urbanization and nationalization of state politics. Their analyses pinpoint the influence of race, media exposure, ideological diversity within the parties, and geographic variation across the state, detailing how Texas politics has changed over time. Race may not have typically defined Texas politics, for instance, but the authors find that rhetoric on policies related to race are now shaping the electorate. The diversity in civic engagement among the Latino community also emerges from the data, compounded and complicated by the growth of the Latino population of voting age. The largest red state in the country, with the second-largest population, Texas is crucial to the way we think about political change in America—and this book amply and precisely equips us to understand the bellwether state’s changing politics.

As historian Gunnar Nerheim states in his introduction, “Norway is a foreign country to Texans, and Texas is a foreign country to Norwegians. Neither in Norway nor Texas has there been any awareness that so many Norwegians settled in antebellum Texas.” Norsemen Deep in the Heart of Texas brings Norwegian settlement in Texas to light and in doing so offers the first-ever comprehensive history of Norwegians in Texas. Fluent in both English and Norwegian, Nerheim has done what no other historian has done by combining primary and secondary sources from both languages and both countries. A well-established European scholar, Nerheim examines these never-before-referenced sources, telling the story of Norwegian immigration to Texas, explaining the contexts of Norwegian immigration to Texas in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and uncovering its significance to the histories of both countries. The larger historical context reveals that immigration to Texas operated as part of dynamic circumstances on both sides of the Atlantic, including slavery and the Civil War. Drawn from the perspectives of both regions, the history of Norwegian settlement in Texas provide new insights into European immigration. Readers interested in Texas, Norwegian, and trans-Atlantic history, as well as nineteenth-century immigration, will find new horizons in Norsemen Deep in the Heart of Texas.

My name is Texas and this is my story. The daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor, I ran away from home when I was 17. For 28 years I traveled a path that took me to places from which few return. Unhealthy relationships and unbridled lusts corrupted my view of freedom and left me cornered in addiction--financed by crafty manipulation and drug dealing. My tainted knowledge of love and polluted desire for escape kept me on a treacherous treadmill that continually fed the heartache of those I loved. But, through it all, the One who loved me unconditionally remained. This is my unvarnished account of the years I spent running and what brought that season to its redeeming end.

Named a “Top Pick” by RT Book Reviews Named a “Fall Must-Read” by RedbookMag.com * PopSugar * Parade Magazine * Brit + Co * SoulCycle Hailed as a “Best Fiction Book by Women of Color” at Bustle.com Pitched as “a poor man’s Halle Berry,” forty-one-year-old soap star Jo Randolph, has successfully avoided waiting tables since she left Midland, Texas at eighteen. But then, in the span of twenty-four hours, Jo manages to lose her job, burn her bridges in Hollywood, and accidentally burn down her lover/director’s beach house—after which she is shipped home to Texas by her agent to stay out of sight while she sorts out her situation. The more Jo reluctantly reconnects with her Texas “roots” and the family and friends she left behind, the more she regains touch with herself as an artist and with what is meaningful in life beyond the limelight. The summer of 2007 is cathartic for Jo, whose career and lifestyle have allowed her to live like a child for forty years, but who now must transition to making grown-up decisions and taking on adult responsibilities. In the Heart of Texas is a wry, humorous commentary on the complexities of race, class, relationships, politics, popular culture, and celebrity in our current society.

Return to Promise, Texas, in this favorite series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, now with four classic romances in one box set! Promise is a ranching town in the Texas hill country—and it’s a place with a mysterious past. But Promise has a heart of goodness, and everyone here knows what really matters in life. Love, family, community… Nell’s Cowboy Widowed mom Nell Bishop’s first guest at her new dude ranch is a celebrity who is stirring up the town—and some uncomfortable feelings in Nell. Lone Star Baby Amy Thornton hopes to make a new life for herself and her baby, and to do that, she needs Reverend McMillen’s help, his compassion. What she wants, however, is his love as a regular man. Promise, Texas Newcomer Annie Applegate opens a bookstore in town. Some might say Annie does things backward. She marries a widowed veterinarian for the sake of his kids…and discovers that marriage can lead to love. Return to Promise Cal and Jane Patterson are forced to confront what they really want in life. How seriously does Cal take his marriage vows? And how important is Promise to Jane? Is there hope for a reconciliation—in time for Christmas?

Return to Promise, Texas, in this favorite series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, now with four classic romances in one box set! Promise is a ranching town in the Texas hill country—and it’s a place with a mysterious past. But Promise has a heart of goodness, and everyone here knows what really matters in life. Love, family, community… Lonesome Cowboy Savannah Weston is an old-fashioned kind of woman, quietly content to stay on the family ranch. Until she meets a disenchanted cowboy named Laredo Smith. Texas Two-Step Ellie Frasier is still mourning her father and needs her friends. But now her relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be changing, turning into something else… Caroline’s Child Who’s the father? Everyone wants to know, but the people here are protective of Caroline Daniels and her daughter. Especially rancher Grady Weston, who’s beginning to realize how much he cares. Dr. Texas Dr. Jane Dickinson is planning to work at the Promise clinic only for a short while before returning to California. Too bad she reminds Cal Patterson so much of the former fiancée he’s trying to forget!

Welcome to the town of Promise, deep in the heart of Texas! Promise, a ranching community in the Hill Country, is a place with a mysterious past and more than its share of secrets. It's also a place where family and friendship matter…. Lonesome Cowboy Savannah Weston lives quietly on the family ranch with her brother, Grady. Until she encounters a stranger named Laredo Smith, a disenchanted cowboy who just might change her life—in the best possible way! Texas Two-Step After her father's death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. But now her long-standing relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be turning into something else….

"Cozying up to the enemy makes sense." —Clark Garrison, urban cowboy and ruthless capitalist Clark Garrison had his reasons for returning to River Oaks and wasn't about to let anyone stand in his way—especially not Dr. Sara Wilson. Hell, she was just as beautiful and infuriating as he remembered, and clearly she still considered him the same swaggering bad boy she'd known years ago. Though he wanted to lure the lovely doctor to his bed, she was unquestionably off-limits. After all, it wouldn't be long before she discovered that the reason he was back had everything to do with her… Some men are made for lovin'—and you'll love our MAN OF THE MONTH!