The letters of the alphabet are represented by words, set in short rhymes with additional information, relating to the state of Texas.

Texas announces it will leave the United States and form a new country. Families, friends, and professionals across the United States see old loyalties broken and new loyalties forged in the fires of personal ambition and necessity. Unknown, average young people find themselves on the tip of the spear of the upstart Texas Defense Force, formed to protect the new country. In a night that will forever change his destiny, going-nowhere sales clerk Michael Minze discovers he has a talent for killing, and bright but underachieving student Ann Militzer is offered a graduation present she can't refuse as a reward for her loyalty: the keys to a supersonic warplane. The leadership of the United States vows to stop Texas from seceding. And war ravages the nation.

“Traverses Texas, finding evidence of the hard boiled, sultry, and disreputable throughout the state . . . Think of the book as a sort of criminal travelogue.” —Booklist If everything is bigger in Texas, then that includes the boldness of the criminals who call the state home. From large urban centers to the Cajun Gulf coast, there is big money to be made running guns, drugs, and catering to the greedy and disillusioned. Each distinctive region can claim its own special brand of outlaw. In Lone Star Noir, you’ll find stories by James Crumley, Joe R. Lansdale, Claudia Smith, Ito Romo, Luis Alberto Urrea, David Corbett, George Wier, Sarah Cortez, Jesse Sublett, Dean James, Tim Tingle, Milton T. Burton, Lisa Sandlin, Jessica Powers, and Bobby Byrd. “This isn’t J.R. Ewing’s Lone Star State. This is the Texas of chicken shit bingo, Enron scamsters, and a feeling that what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico . . . So what defines Texas noir? Who knows, but you better pray that blood doesn’t stain your belt buckle.” —The Austin Chronicle

Originally published: New York: Free Press, 2004.

A collection of thirty short crime stories set in Texas by a variety of writers, including Kinky Friedman, Mary Willis Walker, and Carolyn Hart.

While stuck in a small town waiting out a storm, magazine editor Laura Draper finds her way to the Lone Star Cafe, where a laid-back local musician makes her think twice about rushing home to her high-pressure city life.

In Texas, myth often clashes with the reality of everyday government. Explore the state′s rich political tradition with Lone Star Politics as the author team explains who gets what and how. Utilizing a comparative approach, the authors set Texas in context with other states′ constitutions, policymaking, electoral practices, and institutions as they delve into the evolution of its politics. Critical thinking questions and unvarnished "Winners and Losers" discussions guide students toward understanding Texas government and assessing the state′s political landscape. The highly anticipated Seventh Edition includes coverage of the state′s response to the COVID pandemic, brand new chapter-level learning objectives, updated demographic and immigration statistics, and new Discussion Starter questions to help in-class discussion on critical policy debates. Digital Option / Courseware SAGE Vantage is an intuitive digital platform that delivers this text’s content and course materials in a learning experience that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools, all carefully designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Built with you and your students in mind, it offers simple course set-up and enables students to better prepare for class. Assignable Video with Assessment Assignable video (available with SAGE Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. CQ Press Lecture Spark: Designed to save you time and ignite student engagement, these free weekly lecture launchers focus on current event topics tied to key concepts in American Government.