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Shop nowBig, Hot, Cheap, and Right
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Learn moreTexas may well be America's most controversial state. Evangelicals dominate the halls of power, millions of its people live in poverty, and its death row is the busiest in the country. Skeptical outsiders have found much to be offended by in the state's politics and attitude, and yet, according to journalist, and Texan, Erica Grieder, the United States has a great deal to learn from Texas.
In Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right, Grieder traces the political history of a state that was always larger than life. From its rowdy beginnings, Texas has combined a long-standing suspicion of government intrusion with a passion for business. Looking to the present, Grieder assesses the unique mix of policies on issues like immigration, debt, taxes, regulation, and energy, which together have sparked a bona fide Texas miracle of job growth. While acknowledging that it still has plenty of twenty-first century problems to face, she finds in Texas a model of governance whose power has been drastically underestimated. Her book is a fascinating exploration of America's underrated powerhouse.
Erica Grieder is a senior editor at Texas Monthly, based in Austin. From 2007 to 2012, she was the southwest correspondent for the Economist. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, the New York Sun, the Spectator (UK), and More Intelligent Life.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.
Reviews
āThirty years from now thereās a good chance that most of America will look like Texas and somehow, improbably, using some strange dark prose magic, Erica Grieder has managed to convince me that might actually not be so bad. Written with verve and nuance, this is a fascinating, provocative read. If there were a book like this for each state, Iād read every one.ā
āJournalist Grieder (a senior editor at Texas Monthly and former Southwest correspondent for the Economist) pens a primer on Texas that is serious and lighthearted in turnā¦Anyone curious about or proud of Texas will find something of interest, as will readers of current politics.ā
āDue to the fact that Texas is thriving while much of America struggles, it might be wise to consider what Texas is doing right.ā
āRefreshingā¦Ms. Griederās is the rare book that takes stock of the Texas model without ridiculing many of its traditions and politiciansā¦This is a good book, and Ms. Griederās clear, vivid writing makes it downable in a single afternoon.ā
āErica Grieder supplies a fresh view of the nationās second most populous stateā¦Mixes equal parts history, political reporting, back-of-the-envelope economics, and cultural commentary. For those who have never enjoyed a plate of Kreuzās barbecue, toured the Alamo, or attended the annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, Ms. Griederās thumbnail sketch of Texana will make for an entertaining introduction. But most revealing may be the way she connects the stateās current boom with its unique historyā¦Ms. Griederās work is a well-timed plea for the rest of the country to wake up and learn from its example.ā
āReadable and often amusingā¦For those of us who didnāt grow up here and study Texas history, Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right is a brief but perceptive introduction to the stateās colorful past and fascinating characters.ā
āGreider delves into Texasā motley past, looks with humor and insight at where we are today, and makes some interesting predictions about our futureā¦The depth of research, objectivity, and philosophical underpinnings of Greiderās writing make Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right a dang good read for native Texans and for those of us who got here as fast as we could.ā
āPacey, colorful, humorous, and cuttingā¦The book is a commendable achievement. Some people are going to be very annoyed that they didnāt write itā¦Neither apology nor sonnet, the bookās treatment of Texas is robustly moderate.ā
āTexas isnāt the uninhabitable right-wing bully East Coast howlers imagine and itās not the open range paradise described by free-market myth-makers. Erica Grieder describes the state as it isāa place shaped (and misshapen) by its past and by the entirely human characters who live there. She is a sure-footed guide, pointing out what is to be admired and warning when we had best watch our step.ā
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