Wyatt Earp was a lousy lover but a very shrewd judge of people. You'll learn that in Owen Wister Award winner Richard S. Wheeler's "Hearts." Some Indians can play basketball-PEN/Malamud Award winner Sherman Alexie shows us that in "What Ever Happened to Frank Snake Church?" There are 18 more fine stories in editor Jaffe's collection, by such big-name writers as Elmore Leonard, William Kittredge, and Elmer Kelton. But don't be fooled-this is not a book of Western stories. Here, you're just as likely to meet a pilot, a deep-sea fisherman, or a redneck as you are a gunslinger like Earp. Jaffe's theme is not really "the West"; rather, it's loss. Every story is about losing someone or something-family, friends, innocence, faith. A fine collection of American short stories good for larger fiction collections everywhere; this shouldn't be put with the Westerns.-Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Taking the West more as a geographic indicator than a genre heading, this collection boasts a surprisingly wide range of stories, from Sherman Alexie's tale of an aging would-be Indian basketball star struggling through crisis and vigorous reinvention, to windies from traditional westerners Max Evans, Elmer Kelton, and Richard Wheeler, and more poignant, graceful takes on family, friendship, and perseverance from Valerie Miner and Bruce Machart. Many of the authors deal with themes of loss, particularly as the generation once-removed from the last frontiersmen dies off, taking with them the remaining vestige of life in the wilder days of the West. But the exuberant, strong-willed spirit endures, even if the cowboys have traded in steeds for pickups and open-range ranching for modern agricultural textbook science. The issue remains survival in a tough world and a hard-won terrain, with a wistful gaze looking back, to be sure, but steeled to the path ahead, be it dusty or paved. A fine start to what should become an outstanding series. --Ian Chipman Copyright 2007 Booklist