This impassioned book, both a loving description and a critique, defines urban values in a milieu that is rarely recognized as a city. Updated more than ten years after its initial publication, it is more relevant than ever to Albuquerque's future. A new chapter describes Albuquerque's recent development, placing it in the context of urban growth in the West.
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Updated more than ten years after its initial publication, this impassioned book is more relevant than ever to Albuquerque's future. "Illuminating, provocative. . . . a complex, intelligent study of urbanization through an intimate examination of Albuquerque. . . . an insightful, absorbing book."--El Palacio
About the Author
V. B. Price is the recipient of the Arts Alliance Bravo Award for Excellence in Literary Arts, the Erna Fergusson Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Alumni Association of the University of New Mexico, and the ACLU-NM First Amendment Award.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Sometimes, even today, I'm surprised that I live in a place called Albuquerque--and that I call it home.",
By John P. Jones III (Albuquerque, NM, USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Albuquerque: City at the End of the World (Paperback)
V. B. Price starts the preface to his first edition of this book with the above quote. And it certainly resonates with me. Another statement, this time from an American friend, who started life as a European, after I had given him a tour of Albuquerque: "This city is only 80% like any other American city--and I mean that as a compliment." Much of Price's book focuses on the 20 % that makes the city unique.
Price worked for the now defunct, alas, "Albuquerque Tribune" for a period of 20 years. After reading the preface to his latest edition, written in 2002, I knew I found a soul mate. Consider: "In ten years, though, I realize that with my uncertainty had come an increasing distaste for spin doctoring of boomers and profiteers." and "My feeling is these days that Albuquerque as a unique place in the American West might be close to having its spirit broken by New Mexico's poverty, by `globalization' and corporate design fads and junk architecture, by sprawl, and by the swamping of generic--i.e., interchangeable, placeless design solutions." Much of the focus of the book concerns issues of urban development and the architecture of the region. He places current developments in a historical perspective, stretching back to the Anasazi. He is quite critical of the political establishment, and their failure to provide a working consensus for the city's development. He knows his material, and writes well. There are numerous gems in the book: "Aldous Huxley, for instance, in `Brave New World,' designated New Mexico as the `savage reservation,' a place filled with outcasts who did not fit into the genetically engineered, drug-pacified society of the future" Hum! As for the capital, as it were: "Nor, or course, is Albuquerque an idealized Native American-Hispano metropolis, any more than it is a Disneyized adobe tourist Mecca like Santa Fe." A great book by an incisive reporter, which is certainly an endangered species. An important read for any resident or serious sojourner. As for the visitor, please concentrate on the problems outlined. Some of us would prefer a "steady-state" development.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just What I Was Seeking...,
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This review is from: Albuquerque: City at the End of the World (Paperback)
I don't live in New Mexico, much less Albuquerque, but I love the place and I've been visiting with some regularity since the early 1990's. Over time I've been thinking more and more about the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things I've observed. When people ask me what I like about New Mexico I usually say that the tourism folks express it pretty well: a sense of space, a mixture of cultures and people, physical beauty and just a "difference" from an eastern city. Some of these features can be found in some other western cities but there are some unique things about New Mexico. The more time you spend driving around Albuquerque, the more you're also struck by the impression that as you move out of the center of the city, the layout seems distressingly like...Long Island, with perhaps even less zoning and planning. "City at the End of the World" explores what makes the city unique, how unplanned development has affected that nature and how there has been some improvement in the last few decades.
The portions of the book describing the history of the city's development and the "struggle" between what appears to be relatively unplanned development and some attempts at historic preservation are the most interesting. You gain a real sense of how the different cultural influences played out against economic forces during the first half of the 20th century. To be honest, there are times when it appears that Price is not entirely happy with anything that has happened since the railroad arrived in 1880 or at least since the founding of UNM in the first couple of decades of the 20th century. You very well may not always agree with his point of view. For the most part, reading this book opened my eyes to things that I'd noticed but until now have not understood. He describes a number of trips through the city and environs to illustrate his points and I intend to pursue all of them on my next trip. While I came away with a number of important insights, there are also times when the perspective and writing style are pretty academic. This perspective may be entirely appropriate but there are times when it's difficult to follow. Or at least it was for me. There are many notes for further reading. I'm sure that there is an entire community of people living in Albuquerque for whom this perspective is second nature, but it was a very useful education for me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My friend loved it!,
By Milka "cat happy" (United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Albuquerque: City at the End of the World (Paperback)
A friend of mine just moved to Albuquerque so I sent him this
book. He really enjoyed reading it and mentioned that the author had some interesting insights into the growth and modernization of the city. If your moving to this area of New Mexico, or are interested in the growth of southwestern cities, this is a good choice.
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