Synopses & Reviews
"Texas Hold 'Em is more than just a card game. It deals...with that fine, forgotten art of playing a poor hand well....Texas Hold 'Em is a state of mind, a spiritual survival technique, a way of holding on to things that might just be important in this ever-changing world." from the introduction to
Texas Hold 'Em
The irrepressible, future Governor of Texas is back with a crusade to stop the wussification of the Lone Star State. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd miss gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks, but he almost does. He misses the days when cowboy shirts never had buttons and coffee with a friend was still a dime. Many of the stubborn, dusty, weather-beaten little towns, roads, trucks, jeeps, people and animals are gone now. Like it or not, the peaceful, scenic bucolic Hill Country of his childhood is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
His is at his outrageous best as he gives Americans a look at the state made famous by the Alamo, the armadillo, Willie Nelson, and, well, Kinky Friedman. Texas Hold 'Em is composed of provocative essays, including autobiographical pieces that are at times bittersweet and at other hilarious, profiles of such stellar Texans as his friend, Willie Nelson, as you've never seen him before, George W. Bush, and Racehorse Haynes, and a treasure trove of lists and quizzes, including:
- If the Ten Commandments Were Written by a Texan
- Tex My ride
- Texas Firsts
- What Kind of Texas Driver Are you?
As an added diversion, the book is decorated with cartoons by the brilliant John Callahan, particularly appealing to those whose lives are spiraling downward into tailspins of despair.
Texas Hold 'Em is the way in which the Kinkster plays the game of life. To him, "Texas Hold' Em" means holding on to what is dear to him, to the things that made him who he is, always remembering that the most important things in life aren't things. An old cowboy philosophy of life sums it up "hang on tight, spur hard, and let 'er buck."
Review
"Texas Hold 'Em is different from many of Friedman's earlier books...in that it is much more autobiographical with a look back from where the author came and not necessarily at what currently is bothering the author." San Antonio Express-News
About the Author
Kinky Friedman is a former country music star, Texas Monthly columnist, and author of a successful mystery series. He is running for Governor of Texas in November. He wants to take things back to a time when the cowboys all sang and their horses were smart.