Tuck this book under your arm, jump in your car, and get ready to discover the ghosts of North Texas! These aren't tall tales-these are stories about places you can visit on your own ghost-hunting excursion!

"Back in 2005, the board of the directors of the Houston Police Officers' Union commissioned Mitchel Roth, Ph.D., and Tom Kennedy to research and write a book that chronicled the history of the Houston Police Department and the Houston Police Officers' Union."--Foreword.

Convict Cowboys is the first book on the nation’s first prison rodeo, which ran from 1931 to 1986. At its apogee the Texas Prison Rodeo drew 30,000 spectators on October Sundays. Mitchel P. Roth portrays the Texas Prison Rodeo against a backdrop of Texas history, covering the history of rodeo, the prison system, and convict leasing, as well as important figures in Texas penology including Marshall Lee Simmons, O.B. Ellis, and George J. Beto, and the changing prison demimonde. Over the years the rodeo arena not only boasted death-defying entertainment that would make professional cowboys think twice, but featured a virtual who’s who of American popular culture. Readers will be treated to stories about numerous American and Texas folk heroes, including Western film stars ranging from Tom Mix to John Wayne, and music legends such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Through extensive archival research Roth introduces readers to the convict cowboys in both the rodeo arena and behind prison walls, giving voice to a legion of previously forgotten inmate cowboys who risked life and limb for a few dollars and the applause of free-world crowds.

Based on articles written for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, author Richard J. Gonzales draws on his educational, inner-city and professional life experiences to weave eyewitness testimony into issues facing Chicanos, including economic, health, education, criminal justice, politics, immigration, and cultural issues. Raza Rising presents a personal recounting of a Chicano's struggle with and understanding of the socio-economic policies and historical actions that impact their ascendancy. Raza Rising offers first-hand observations, supported by well-documented scholarly research, of Chicanos' growth and subsequent struggles to participate fully in North Texas' political and economic life. Raza Rising takes the reader to the organization of a Fort Worth immigration reform march, to the actual march with 20,000 people on Main Street on Palm Sunday, to a protest demonstration of the City of Farmers Branch's attempt to prohibit renting to the undocumented immigrant, to the author's awakening in Chicago on the importance of learning, and to his poignant experience as a guest speaker in a Fort Worth public school classroom. Other observations offer insight on how Chicanos struggle with their ethnic identity and understanding of their history. In addition, the book highlights important historical and political events that illustrate Chicanos' attempts to overcome barriers to their rise. At a time when global economic competition threatens the United States' first world status, this country must nurture academic excellence for all its citizens. Raza Rising provides specific explanations for the Chicano educational lag and workable solutions to accelerate their political, economic and academic achievements. Prophetic state and national demographers have forecasted the steady increase in Chicano populations and decrease in white populations. Raza Rising offers students, instructors, policy makers, politicians and neighbors a deeper understanding of Chicanos, who in the near future will transition from minority to majority status in Texas.