Texas Monthly – August 2019

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From the Heart

I have never written in before, but

I wanted to commend Skip [Hol-

landsworth] for his article [“Sa-

bika’s Story,” May 2019]. It was

so lovely and heartbreaking that

it moved me to tears. Thank you,

Skip, for researching this story and

reminding us what’s beneath the

headlines. I am in awe.

JULISSA TOPETE, AUSTIN

Skip has outdone himself on this

article. It should be required read-

ing for all Texans concerned about

violence in schools. This story is a

reminder of how far-reaching the

eff ects of these incidents are, and

until we actually do something

about it, we could see articles such

as this one in the future. I am not

sure what the answers are, but as a

teacher, I know arming educators

is not the answer.

BRIAN ALFORD, COLLEGE STATION

I remember hearing about Santa

Fe on the radio and the Pakistani

exchange student who was killed.

I could not imagine the horror or

the calamity her family would feel

receiving such news. Skip wrote an

amazing story with sensitivity and

grace. Thank you for painting such

a beautiful picture of Sabika and

Jaelyn. Jesus called peacemakers

“children of God.” Skip gives us an

eloquent story of what that should

look like, particularly in light of the

world we live in.

RACHAEL HALL, AUSTIN

’Cue the Response

Daniel Vaughn is a hell of a writer,

and the piece he did in this issue is

wonderful [“The Wide World of

Texas BBQ,” May 2019]. I’ve been

following him since he was a blog-

ger, and it always surprises me how

passionate and well written and

interesting and informational

his articles are. I’m a native Tex-

an living in Seattle. Actually own

a barbecue restaurant inspired by

Daniel Vaughn and barbecue sum-

mer camp at Texas A&M. You’re

sustaining many Texans living in

Seattle with your wonderful maga-

zine. Keep up the great work!

JACK, SEATTLE

I would like to see a list of all the

barbecue joints that the writers

have tried. It seems that if a restau-

rant isn’t within a half tank of gas

of a major airport or near a ritzy

resort or “classy,” then the place

isn’t considered. There are a lot

of fine barbecue places in small

towns. A lot of your readers out

here love good barbecue but ar-

en’t wealthy snobs or on an ex-

pense account. Bless your hearts!

HAL THOMAS RISNER, VIA EMAIL

When I want BBQ, I want brisket,

sausage, and ribs slow cooked with

wood smoke. I want to taste that

smoke. The only side needed is a

slice of white bread and maybe a

Big Red.

LARRY GASTON, CLEBURNE

Oil Change

I just finished reading your arti-

cle regarding the Permian Basin

oil boom [“The Price of Oil,” June

2019]. I was going to do a quick skim

of the article, but within only a cou-

ple of paragraphs, I found myself

captured and transported to the

Permian Basin. I read every word

and found myself wanting more.

Thanks for taking me on this visit!

CHARLIE HALE, FRANKLIN, TN

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Roar of the Crowd

“UPON MY DEMISE, MY ASHES ARE TO BE

SCATTERED INTO THE WELCOMING ARMS

OF THE BRAZOS RIVER FROM THE WACO

SUSPENSION BRIDGE SO I MIGHT, OVER THE

NEXT FEW MILLION YEARS, WANDER MY WAY

THROUGH THE BEST PART OF THE PLANET.”

14 TEXAS MONTHLY