Flipping Out

The letter-sweater-wearing, pom-pom-shaking, pep-rally-leading girl next door has been a beloved Texas icon for generations. So why do so many people today— lawmakers and lawyers, preachers and feminists—think cheerleading is the root, root, root of all evil?

by Pamela Colloff

Keep Waterloo Weird

In this excerpt from Karen Olsson’s forthcoming novel set in a fictional state capital (wink, wink), a reporter for a weekly newspaper watches a rural conservative who “shares your values” announce his candidacy for governor.

by Karen Olsson

Tour de Texas

These ten bike routes, some easy and some hard, will help you channel your inner Lance.

by Charlie Llewellin

Wheel in the Sky

For the residents of a tiny Panhandle town, a horrific accident at the State Fair fifty years ago reverberates still—and will haunt them forever.

by Robert Draper

I Am a Student Again

But prepping for war is not the kind of homework I’m used to.

by Jonathan Moss

Six Brothers

The tragedy of the Von Erichs—the state’s first family of pro wrestling—is well known not just to fans of the sport but to the many groupies who oohed and aahed at the matinee-idol athletes over the years. Still, you haven’t really heard the story until it’s told by the sole surviving sibling, whose eldest son may be the next one to step into the ring.

by John Spong

Behind the Lines

Is Wright Wrong?

The case for flying anywhere I want.

by Paul Burka

Michael Ennis

Culture of Strife

Frozen embryos are destroyed every day in the name of in vitro fertilization. Tell me again what’s so wrong with stem cell research?

Suzy Banks

Rental Illness

When people hear I’m a landlady, they tell me I should have my head examined. Yep.

Sarah Bird

Read ’Em and Weep

Man, do I hate book clubs.

Reporter

Monster Inc.

As mythical creatures go, Bigfoot is right up there with the Loch Ness Monster and the Abominable Snowman. But in Jefferson, the search for the hairy, hulking beast with the, er, big feet is big business—and deadly serious.

by Katy Vine

As Told To

Saved by the Bell

Ann Wolfe pulls no punches.

As told to Brian D. Sweany

Encyclopedia Texanica

Texas Myth #665

Great Houston’s ghost!

by Anne Dingus

FAQ

Tomb It May Concern

How do you get into the state cemetery?

by Christopher Keyes

Book Review

Waterloo

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Book Review

Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Book Review

The Color of Law

Reviewed by Mike Shea

Music Review

Cripple Crow

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Music Review

The Real Deal

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Music Review

Canvas

Reviewed by Jeff McCord

Pat’s Pick

Gravitas

by Patricia Sharpe

Pat’s Pick

Shrimply the Best

by Patricia Sharpe

Texas Monthly Talks

Red McCombs

“I’ve had my failures and my mistakes. I don’t dwell on them. So I don’t have anything dragging me down at any given time.”

by Evan Smith

Roar of the Crowd

Ode to Joel

Mid-century Memphis

Former Texas Monthly senior editor Robert Draper on assembling an Eisenhower-era time capsule, including the memories of a teenage calamity and the recollections of the Panhandle town that still bears its scars.

Interview by Ryan Vogt

Pedal Pushers

Contributing photographer Wyatt McSpadden, who shot this month’s feature “Tour de Texas,” describes how a plum assignment became a poignant father-son journey.

Interview by Ryan Vogt

The Last Von Erich

Associate editor John Spong on retelling a tragic family epic—the rise and fall of Dallas’ pro wrestling dynasty.

Interview by Ryan Vogt

Happy Trails

Rush Hour

by Addie Broyles

Jim Peyton’s The Very Best of Tex-Mex Cooking Plus Texas Barbecue and Texas Chile

Reviewed by Christine Newgard

Texas History 101

The Alamo: A Crash Course

by Ryan Vogt

Tomato Broth with Portobellos and Spinach over Gnocchi

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo