Riding the Wind and Other Tales

Sometimes it's tough to be a Texan. It takes a love of unpredictability to make a person strong enough to experience all that our good state has to offer. And it takes a certain native talent to write about the emotions and thrills that make up the everyday life of Texas.James Hoggard is a true Texan. A professor of English at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, Hoggard knows the excitement that Texas has to offer, and he conveys these thoughts and sentiments through the stories and observations in his book, "Riding The Wind & Other Tales."Upon reading the title story of this collection, "Riding The Wind" (a narrative of the April 10, 1979, tornado that ravaged Wichita Falls), I found myself remembering all of the events of that fateful day. Hoggard's imagery and word choice make it seem like only yesterday that the tornado changed my life forever, and I found tears in my eyes as I read for the first time about the young mother who lost her children from underneath her in the tub. I've never heard that story, and I thought I'd heard them all.Other stories in "Riding The Wind & Other Tales" are not as sad. Hoggard offers tender reminiscences of his Texas childhood and shares adult memories and meditations on life. He writes stories of what he knows best -- family and friends. Some of the tales are poignant, some are witty, some will make you chuckle out loud. This is short literature at its finest.