Americans have long cherished romantic images of the frontier and its colorful cast of characters, where the cowboys are always rugged and the ladies always fragile. But in this book, Peter Boag opens an extraordinary window onto the real Old West. Delving into countless primary sources and surveying sexological and literary sources, Boag paints a vivid picture of a West where cross-dressing—for both men and women—was pervasive, and where easterners as well as Mexicans and even Indians could redefine their gender and sexual identities. Boag asks, why has this history been forgotten and erased? Citing a cultural moment at the turn of the twentieth century—when the frontier ended, the United States entered the modern era, and homosexuality was created as a category—Boag shows how the American people, and thus the American nation, were bequeathed an unambiguous heterosexual identity.

Uses many sources to portray the diversity of the American frontier of the 1800s.

Frontier opens with the story of Liujin, a young woman heading out on her own to create her own life in Pebble Town, a somewhat surreal place at the base of Snow Mountain, where wolves roam the streets and certain enlightened individuals can enter a paradisiacal garden. Exploring life in this city through the viewpoint of a dozen different characters, Can Xue's latest novel attempts to unify the grand opposites of life - barbarism and civilization, the spiritual and the material, the mundane and the sublime, beauty and death, Eastern and Western cultures.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE A new and eye-opening interpretation of the meaning of the frontier, from early westward expansion to Trump’s border wall. Ever since this nation’s inception, the idea of an open and ever-expanding frontier has been central to American identity. Symbolizing a future of endless promise, it was the foundation of the United States’ belief in itself as an exceptional nation – democratic, individualistic, forward-looking. Today, though, America hasa new symbol: the border wall. In The End of the Myth, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin explores the meaning of the frontier throughout the full sweep of U.S. history – from the American Revolution to the War of 1898, the New Deal to the election of 2016. For centuries, he shows, America’s constant expansion – fighting wars and opening markets – served as a “gate of escape,” helping to deflect domestic political and economic conflicts outward. But this deflection meant that the country’s problems, from racism to inequality, were never confronted directly. And now, the combined catastrophe of the 2008 financial meltdown and our unwinnable wars in the Middle East have slammed this gate shut, bringing political passions that had long been directed elsewhere back home. It is this new reality, Grandin says, that explains the rise of reactionary populism and racist nationalism, the extreme anger and polarization that catapulted Trump to the presidency. The border wall may or may not be built, but it will survive as a rallying point, an allegorical tombstone marking the end of American exceptionalism.

This final book in the Frontier Doctor trilogy continues the story of Dane and Tharyn Logan, husband and wife medical team serving a mining community west of Denver. While caring for the physical ailments of the residents of this frontier town, the Logans also minister to their spiritual needs. And Dane has the joy of leading a Ute Indian chief and his family to faith in Christ. Dane’s biggest challenge comes, however, when the stagecoach he’s riding crashes down a ravine. Dane survives, but loses his memory. Who is he? Does he have a family somewhere? And will his trust in God help him find his way back home?THE FRONTIER DOCTOR TRILOGY Countless perils menaced the settlers of the vast wilderness, and one of the most severe was the scarcity of medical care. Risking his own life by day or by night, in all kinds of weather, the frontier doctor was a rare, unsung hero of the West. Strong Heart, Able Hands Dr. Dane Logan and his wife, Tharyn, are happily settled in Central City and considering the right time to start a family. Their medical practice in the little mining town keeps them busy with everything from new babies and appendicitis to gunshot wounds and a rancher gored by a bull. It’s almost more than one doctor can keep up with. Then when the stagecoach he’s riding in crashes down a ravine, Dane awakens with a head injury—and no idea who he is. Will his trust in God help him find his way back home? Story Behind the Book Of all the perils confronting the settlers of the Wild West, serious illness, injuries from mishaps of countless number, and wounds from battles with Indians and outlaws were the most dreaded. The lack of proper medical care resulted in thousands of deaths. It is our desire that the reader will be deeply impressed with the courage of those frontier doctors who helped settle the West. We think you’ll find this final book in this trilogy filled with our faith—gained from so many years of serving the Lord and trusting His written Word.